Tomasello Winery Winter 2024

Happy U.S. National Drink Wine Day!

Tomasello Winery

I wanted to revisit Tomasello Winery for a number of reasons. While their Palmaris label brought the winery to an another level, they also offer some wines that you may not see anywhere else. For instance, they are the only winery in the state that I know of, that offers a Rkatsiteli and an Aromella. I’ll elaborate on both of these below. I have previously tasted and enjoyed their Rkatsiteli, but it has been quite awhile. I have never had an Aromella prior to our tasting last week. Tomasello Winery has fairly recently entered the hard cider market (and even recently won an award for one of them). Another hot market is the creams made with a wine base. They have been making these for some time, but they recently released a new Limited edition Dark Chocolate Dipped Raspberry Cream.

During our tasting, we found out that Charlie Tomasello’s son is now the winemaker and Jack Tomasello’s son is involved in their marketing. So we have the older generation still very involved, but the new generation of the family is already making their mark in one of the Garden State’s oldest wineries. Tomasello also offers some unique musical entertainment (like opera and Dueling Pianos) in a beautiful setting. They have wonderful food and their Hammonton site is a popular one for weddings.

The Tasting

• Palmaris OCP 2019 Chardonnay Reserve-A nice, oaked version.
• Rkatsiteli-The Rkatsiteli grape has its origins in Georgia (not our state, the country). The word literally means “red stem” or “red horn.” The grape is the oldest known grape in the world, dating back to around 3,000 B.C. The wine is a semi-sweet white wine, balanced with good acidity. It is known for its spicy and floral notes. I generally prefer dry wines, but this one is quite interesting and worth trying.
• Aromella-This is a dry white, aromatic wine. It is made from a hybrid grape developed at Cornell University (like Traminette and others). While it is good, the taste is totally different from the aroma. The grape is considered to be “winter hardy,” which is why you see it more commonly in the Finger Lakes wine region.
• Pinot Grigio-a bonus offering, newly bottled; a tasty refreshing version with clear notes of grapefruit.
• Palmaris OCP 2020 Pinot Noir Reserve-It tasted every bit as good as previous versions I have enjoyed. A little deeper in color and a little more body than some Pinots I have recently tried.
• 2020 Palmaris Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve-One of the few wines not made with their estate grown grapes. It is excellent, though I believe some of the Palmaris Cabs they make with their estate grapes are even better.

While we were doing our tasting, a patron came in to purchase a bottle of their Dark Chocolate Dipped Raspberry Cream. He raved about it. Our server was kind enough to let us taste it and it truly is wonderful.

Our Takeaway

We decided to bring home a bottle of their Pinot Grigio, Rkatsiteli, and the Limited Edition Dark Chocolate Dipped Raspberry Cream.

Expanding Your Palate

I am not one to tell you what wines you should buy or that everyone should drink a certain wine. I do believe in the saying, “Drink what you like.” However, I always hasten to add, but try as many different wines as you can and you may discover new favorites, as I have and many, many others have discovered. Don’t try one red wine and because you didn’t like it, assume that they are all alike. Don’t even stop at trying one Cab, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. You may have tried one version from one producer, made by one winemaker in one region of one country. Like people, all wines have their own “personality.” They may also vary greatly from one vintage year to the next. It’s even possible that the wine you tried may have been bad for another reason. A bad cork is often responsible for literally leaving a bad taste in your mouth for that wine. Don’t be afraid to try wines that you have never heard of-they can be a great discovery.

Most of all, enjoy your wine and let it bring you pleasure, living in the moment, with thoughts of gratefulness, with each sip.

Cheers!

Coming Attractions

• Kennedy Cellars
• Terra Nonno
• Saddle Hill Winery

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