Laurita Winery, which produces up to 16,000 cases of wine annually, offers wine tasting and tours of the New Egypt vineyard and winery. SCOTT FRIEDMAN New Jersey vintners have managed to quiet the skeptics who did not believe that the Garden State could produce quality wines. With award-winning wines on national and international levels, New Jersey is now the seventh-largest wine producing state in the nation.
Grape-growing expert Gary Pavlis, professor and agricultural agent at Rutgers University, said the New Jersey wine industry took off in the 1990s. “We are not a wine country like Italy, Spain and France,” he said. However, the atmosphere started changing with “knowledge in the state that we can grow premium grapes,” he said.
According to John Cifelli, executive director of the Garden State Wine Growers Association, the wine industry in New Jersey is the fastest-growing segment of the state’s agricultural industry.
Above: Bartender Corey Malley-Boehm of Howell gets the bar ready for patrons visiting the 40- acre vineyard at Laurita Winery, New Egypt, on March 29. New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher described the wine industry as an “income generator of the state” that also provides jobs.
“Wine crosses all areas between tourism, hospitality and farming,” Fisher said.
The state has 50 licensed wineries — up from just 20 when he took over as secretary in 2009. In 2013, winemakers in the Garden State produced a half-million gallons of wine, Fisher said.
The New Jersey Farm Winery Act set the stage for the wine industry to expand in 1981 — finally easing the Prohibition-era law that allowed the licensing of one winery per million state residents.
The industry saw significant growth when the interstate and intrastate shipping of wine became permissible in 2012, and Fisher projects further growth in the consumer market for New Jersey wines. The state currently ranks fourth in the U.S. in wine consumption and first in consumption of bottles under $25, according to Pavlis.
PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN New Jersey wines established their credibility in part with the Judgment of Princeton in 2012. The blind-tasting event was based on the 1976 Judgment of Paris, in which California wines were blind-tested against French wines. The California wines took the honors. Likewise, in Princeton, New Jersey wines were blind-tasted against French wines, and once again, the French wines were defeated.
“If comparably priced, no doubt that Jersey wines can beat the French,” Pavlis said.
Garden State wines are closer in comparison to the wines of the Bordeaux region of France than to those of California, which produces a sweeter wine with a higher alcohol level, according to Pavlis.
The market for New Jersey wines is wide open, with “no ceiling at all,” he said.
Locally, residents can choose from a wide selection of wineries.
Laurita Winery, New Egypt, was formed through the merging of two 150-year-old barns. The 40-acre vineyard produces 14,000 to 16,000 cases of wine annually that are exclusive to the winery. According to Kate Devine, marketing and entertainment director, the winery uses solar systems to produce clean energy for heat, hot water, steam, cooling and refrigeration. The landscaping around the winery and the method used to irrigate the vineyards emphasize the value of water retention and conservation.
Growing grapes in New Jersey poses some challenges, Devine said.
“Although normal winter temperatures hover around 40 degrees, the last few years the winters have been extremely cold, and two hurricanes … ripped through the area,” she said.
Despite these conditions, Laurita Winery, owned by Randy Johnson and Ray Shea, is able to produce a variety of wines. Its winemaker, Nick Opdam, said he considers New Jersey wines crisper and cleaner than those of California and France.
4JG’s Winery of Colts Neck was founded in 1999 and is located on a farm dating to the early 1700s. According to Janet Giunco — who owns the farm with her husband, John, and their children, John and Jill — six varieties of grapes are grown on the 40-acre parcel. Primarily a wholesaler of grapes, the winery sells tons of grapes to other New Jersey winemakers. Giunco said the family keeps small batches and sells about 1,000 cases per year.
In 1999, 4JG’s became the state’s 17th licensed winery.
“Grape growing in the East has grown,” Janet Giunco said, noting that there are some challenges to the industry in New Jersey. “The hardest thing about growing grapes here is the moisture.”
Tomasello Winery — with vineyards in Atlantic and Camden counties and wine-tasting rooms in Freehold and elsewhere around the state — is a third-generation vineyard with more than 70 acres. Jack Tomasello, co-owner along with his brother, Charles, said New Jersey is the “best-kept secret” for growing grapes.
“What a lot of people don’t realize is that the latitude and longitude of South Jersey is comparable to Bordeaux,” he said.
Tomasello said he also views the wine industry as an important part of tourism.
“People are venturing away from Atlantic City and visiting us at the winery,” he said.
Winery events
Laurita Winery, 85 Archertown Road, New Egypt, will hold a Mother’s Day brunch with seating 10:30-11 a.m. and 1-1:30 p.m. May 10. Contact: 609-752-0200.
4JG’s Winery, 127 Hillsdale Road, Colts Neck, will welcome spring with a tasting and vineyard walk noon-5 p.m. April 11-12. Contact: 908-930- 8066.
Tomasello Winery, 225 N. White Horse Pike, Hammonton, will hold a Mother’s Day brunch with seating at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. May 10. Contact: 800-MMM-WINE.
Peppadew Fresh Vineyards, 97 Harbor Road, Morganville, holds wine tastings 1-5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. Wines are paired with Peppadew peppers and Peppadew Goldew peppers. Contact: 908-507- 2240.
Cream Ridge Winery, 145 Route 539, Cream Ridge, will hold “Paint A Glass, Have A Glass” 1-3:30 p.m. April 12. Contact: 609-259-9797.