My wife and I were only home one day from our trip to the Finger Lakes before we were back to visiting New Jersey wineries. We were going to kick back for a day or two after unpacking. However, I saw that John Rossi was going to be playing at Bellview Winery and we decided we could kick back there, enjoy a little wine and enjoy John Rossi play and sing.
The Winery
I have written about Bellview Winery many times. For those of you who haven’t visited yet, it is located in Landisville. They have lots of seating options, both inside the tasting room and outdoors. There is also a covered patio, where we found John Rossi playing. The wine options are also numerous. There is truly something for everyone. While they have many award winning dry red and white wines, they also make a very good Sangria and have other off-dry and sweeter wines for those with a sweet tooth.
After our trip to the Finger Lakes, we did not want to overdo it. So we only ordered one bottle, instead of our usual “bottle of red and bottle of white…” Our choice this time was their 2021 Chardonnay. It is very good, with a creamy, medium body and apple and vanilla notes. A real steal at $18! I also knew we had a couple of Bellview wines at home:
Their 2020 San Marco and their 2019 Gruner Veltliner pictured below. The San Marco is an interesting Italian red varietal that Larry Coia (a key grape grower in Vineland and now a Partner at Bellview Winery) was instrumental in bringing to New Jersey. This red wine is a deep red in color, with notes of blackberries and currants, and it is very food friendly. The Gruner Veltliner is a terrific dry white wine with citrusy flavors and lively acidity.
The Food
You don’t need a food truck with the great charcuterie options available here. We also opted for a spinach and artichoke dip with some chips. There was too much for us to eat (even though we hadn’t had lunch before we arrived). The photo below shows the tasty meats, cheeses, and fig jam, as well as the tasty dip with chips.
John Rossi
I have also written about John more than once in the past. There is a good reason. John is simply the best acoustic guitarist I have seen in many years, especially in the blues genre. It seems only fitting that my wife and I came to see him at Bellview Winery, since that is where we first saw him on stage. Since then we have seen him play at numerous other wineries.
My wife and I have seen John so often that we have gotten to know each other a bit and become friends. We both love music and enjoy wine. He knows that I play a little (very little), but he even trusted me to try out his guitar, which I agreed to only if he would turn the microphone and amp off). Very cool!
John played a couple of my acoustic blues favorites like Hesitation Blues (Jorma Kaukonen/Hot Tuna) and one of my all time favorite instrumentals popularized by Paul Simon and written by Davy Graham. Just as a side note, in fact checking this post, I found out two things I never knew. First, Paul Simon had a brother (Ed) that I never before saw in print or heard he had a brother. I also found out that Davy Graham, not Bert Jansch wrote Anji.
While John brings a set list, I think he could play most any tune in the acoustic blues genre. Besides his chops on the guitar, John has the perfect voice for blues-just a hint of raspy, but complimenting his guitar style to a “T.”
What a fun, relaxing afternoon at Bellview Winery. Thanks to the winery staff and a special thanks to John Rossi. Cheers!
Coming Attractions
- My Fall Into October Recommendations
- Working Dog Winery Fall 2024
- Beneduce Vineyards Fall 2024
- Cedar Rose Vineyards Fall 2024
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