A Look at Iron Plow Vineyards
The newest member of the Garden State Wine Growers Association is Iron Plow Vineyards located on Mount Pleasant Road in Columbus, NJ, which is located in Burlington County. The first thing a visitor to Iron Plow Vineyards notices is the entry way winery sign and green iron plow guiding vehicles to the tasting room. There’s a unique historical hook to why the winery is named Iron Plow. The first cast iron plow was invented in Burlington County as Charles Newbold, born in Chesterfield, NJ (1780 was issued the first US patent for a plow on June 26, 1797.
Iron Plow Vineyards is located on 62 acres of beautiful farmland, lawns and gardens. The estate was established by the Thomas Revell family in 1690 and the farm was originally called Boythorpe Plantation. Guests to the vineyard can take in breathtaking views of the farmland, vines, and lawns, picnic or enjoy some of the handcrafted wines being made by winemakers Don Stanlaw and his son-in-law Scott Shumway.
Currently eight acres of vines are planted with more on the way. Baca Noir, Cayuga, Cab Franc Merlot, Norton and Vidal Blanc are among the grapes varietals that Iron Plow is growing. Stanlaw and his wife Gilda, their daughter Sara, who is married to Scott and son Josh took over the vineyard about three-and-a-half years ago. It formerly operated as Mount Pleasant Vineyard.
The wine making philosophy of Don and Scott is to do as little to wine as you can, including filtering the wine as little as possible. The goal is to make a product as natural as the beautiful land from which it came and to produce a high quality product in small batches. That is why visitors to Iron Plow always have to check the board in the tasting room as new product is launched on a regular basis.
An inspiration to the wine making process at Iron Plow Vineyards is the legacy of Gilda Stanlaw’s grandfather who used to make homemade wine. His wine press is still present in the tasting room beneath his picture.Highlights of the wine room menu right now include Hopped Up, an IPV (India Pale Vidal) which has the perfect balance of aroma and flavor thanks to its Cascade hops. Iron Plow’s Vidal Blanc carries a vegetal aroma and crisp taste, perfect for pairing with seafood, light pasta dishes and roasted vegetable and Iron Plow White is a slightly sweet white wine made with Cayuga grapes that has been compared to Riesling and Chenin Blanc. On the red wine side, the Ives Noir ’13 has the nose of a Concord but is dry on the palate while the Cabernet Franc ’13 is a full-bodied wine with smoky and peppery flavor and a blackberry finish. If sweet wine is your pleasure, there is plenty to choose from including their Easy as Pie, apple pie wine and Out of the Blue, blueberry wine spiced with allspice, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon.
Iron Plow is currently open Friday evenings from 6-10 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 11-5.
