Old York Cellars is located in Ringoes, a lovely town, with two other notable wineries nearby: Unionville Vineyards and Hopewell Valley Vineyards. If you have never visited Old York Cellars, I have a few tips for you about the food, the wine, the entertainment, the charities, and the overall experience.
The Food
Old York Cellars has a wonderful chef on hand who makes some classic Spanish focused tapas and dishes. What a great venue to enjoy freshly prepared authentic paella, empinadas, and Spanish meatballs! We chose their Trio of Dips with bread and veggies, the Paella de Chef and a Chicken Caesar salad that we wound up bringing home with us. The Paella was exceptional. We enjoyed our favorite white and red in the tasting (2022 Chardonnay Reserve and 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve) with our meal.
The Wine
Scott Gares, the winemaker, offers wines for every palate. He makes red, white, and Rose wines. While most wines are dry, there are a few sweeter wines, even two Port-style wines (a white and a red). My wife and I love dry wines and did our usual red flight and white flight (sharing both so we could taste all of the wines offered in these two flights).
White Flight
- 2021 Pinot Gris-Not as dry as the previous vintage, but very good, with just a hint of sweetness.
- 2021 Vidal Blanc-Still one of the state’s best. Very good Vidal Blanc.
- 2022 Albarino-Refreshing light tropical notes on the palate.
- 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve-Light and crisp version with tropical fruit notes.
- 2022 Chardonnay Reserve-Our favorite white in the tasting; gently oaked with delicious notes of apple and pear.
- Vintner’s Blend White IX-A very good white blend.
Red Flight
- Darryl Mack Cellars Red Blend-A decent red blend that is very versatile with food.
- 2020 Merlot-Hints of dried cherry in this medium-bodied version.
- Vintner’s Blend Red VIII-A good blend of Merlot, Cab, Cab Franc, and Syrah.
- 2021 Syrah-A very good version with tasty cherry notes and a bit of spice, but quite smooth.
- 2021 Cabernet Reserve-Delicious Cab with good body and smoothly integrated tannins.
- 2021 Merlot Reserve-My favorite wine in the tasting. This Merlot was robust, full-bodied, with cherry notes and velvety smooth. This may be the best New Jersey Merlot I have tasted this year (and I’ve tasted a few).
No Exit Flight
- Spread Kindness (Dry White)– A nice blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.
- Feed Families (Dry Red) – A dry blend of Cab, Merlot, Chambourcin, and Syrah. Very tasty and very smooth.
- Strengthen Communities (Blush Red)– An off-dry blush made from Chambourcin. We tried this one last, thinking it might be sweeter than we might like, but it was also very good and not at all cloying.
Note: The blank yellow space on each label allows one to personalize a note when gifted.
More about the Lasagna Love charity below…
Charities
I love that Old York Cellars has collaborated with a number of charities over the years. Dave Wolin, the owner, is constantly collaborating with local businesses and charities. Their No Exit Label is used for multipurposes-people use them to personalize various celebrations like weddings, birthdays, etc., as well as for various charities. A percentage of the sales of these bottles goes towards that charity. On Thursday, the day my wife and I visited, we chose to try three wines that are presently being promoted by a charity known as Lasagna Love. This is a global charity, but they have a large presence in New Jersey. Since 2020 they have fed over 140,000 individuals, made over 35,600 deliveries, over 4,000 unique volunteers have made deliveries in NJ, and they currently have 1,000 volunteers ready to cook a lasagna for their neighbor. What a great charity! Their motto is: “Feed families, spread kindness, strengthen communities.” You should check out their website here: https://lasagnalove.org
The Entertainment
We were not able to arrange our schedule to check out one of the great entertainment options offered here, but we did get a chance to peruse the newest addition at Old York Cellars-the huge heated tent, allowing the “show to go on” even when the weather is not cooperating. This is no ordinary tent. It is fully equipped with an airstream bar (pictured below), allowing for chilled wines nearby and heat lamps to keep everyone comfy on those chilly nights. There are also picnic tables and other seating just outside of the tent, where you can hear the band but still enjoy the great outdoors.
Old York Cellars offers live music and comedians to its patrons, while they enjoy a nice glass of wine.
The Ambiance and the Experience
If you can afford to pay the $10 per person for the cabana experience, it is a game changer. You can warm up in the winter with the portable heater. You can stay in the shade on a hot, sunny day. You can avoid the wind with the wrap around cabana and enjoy a bit of privacy, too. Or you can open it up and take in the views of the vineyards and distant views of the Sourland Mountains. You can do all of this, while indulging in food and wine service. No need to stand in line. Just sit back in your comfy spot and grab a few pillows.
My Take-Aways
We enjoyed a bit of our favorite red wine (Merlot Reserve) and our favorite white wine (Reserve Chardonnay) with our food. We also took home our favorite Lasagna Love wine in the No Exit Wine Flight-The White. It’s a no brainer to enjoy a good wine and make a small contribution to a great charity at the same time. We enjoyed this wonderful wine on Friday night with a fresh wild caught fillet of cod.
Coming Attractions
- Angelico’s Winery Spring 2024
- Amalthea Cellars Spring 2024
- Balic Winery Spring 2024
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