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A non-vintage Cranberry wine from Tomasello Winery in Hammonton and a 2017 Vidal Blanc from Sharrott Winery of Winslow Township earned Best of Category honors in The Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association’s (ASWA) 14th annual wine competition held earlier this month at the Marriott Tysons Corner.

Tomasello Winery’s NV Cranberry wine won Best of Category for sweet fruit wines and Sharrott Winery’s 2017 Vidal Blanc won for Vidal Blanc.

ASWA’s Wine Competition is the largest in the nation focused exclusively on East Coast wines. A panel of nineteen judges scored 483 wines made in the eastern US. This year’s Best of Show wine, CrossKeys Vineyard Fiore 2017, from the Shenendoah Valley AVA, was selected from 33  Best of Category Winners.

The 2018 ASWA Wine Competition issued 72 gold medals, 170 silver medals and 152 Bronze medals.  Competition Chairman Dave Barber says, “A panel of well-qualified independent judges from various levels within the industry, and hailing from several east coast states and from as far afield as San Francisco and Alabama, evaluated red and rosé wines on day one, and whites on day two.” The final round, after scores were tallied for all Best of Category entries, took place Sunday afternoon.

New Jersey wines took five gold medals in the competition. Earning gold were:

2017 Halcyon by Autumn Lake Winery in Williamstown

2015 Chambourcin by Bellview Winery in Landisville

2015 Nebbiolo y Natali Vineyard in Cape May Courthouse

2017 Vidal Blanc by Sharrott Winery, Hammonton

NV Cranberry  by Tomasello Winery, Hammonton

New Jersey wineries also earned 11 silver medals and 14 bronze medals in the competition. The complete list is below.

Silver Medals by New Jersey wineries:

2015 Chamourcin by Autumn Lake Winery, Williamstown

2016 Blaufrankisch by Bellview Winery, Landisville

2017 Traminette by Bellview Winery, Landisville

NV Porto Rosso by Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington

NV Stony Brook Blush, by Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington

2017 Courthouse Blush by Natali Vineyard, Cape May Courthouse

2015 Tempranillo by Natali Vineyard, Cape May Courthouse

2015 Trio by Sharrott Winery, Hammonton

NV Blueberry by Tomasello Winery, Hammonton

2015 BDX by William Heritage Vineyard, Mullica Hill

2015 Brut Rose by William Heritage Vineyard, Mullica Hill

Bronze Medals by New Jersey Wineries:

2016 Chardonnay by Autumn Lake Winery, Williamstown

2017 Lakeside Blanc by Autumn Lake Winery, Williamstown

2015 ORF by Autumn Lake Winery, Williamstown

NV Leo by Bellview Winery, Landisville

2015 Chambourcin by Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington

NV Dolce Vita by Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington

NV Pinot Grigio by Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington

NV Porto Bianco by Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington

2015 Rosso Della Vale by Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington

NV White Merlot by Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington

2016 Cedar Hammock by Natali Vineyard, Cape May Courthouse

2015 Chambourcin by Sharrott Winery

2014 Palmaris Petite Verdot by Tomasello Winery

Cream Ridge, NJ – New Jersey’s wine industry had a $323 million economic impact on the state in 2016, an increase of 39.9% from the $231 million economic impact reported in 2011, according to a new study released by the Garden State Wine Growers Association (GSWGA) funded from a Wine Industry Council Grant, and completed by accounting and consulting firm Frank, Rimerman + Co.  Here is a link to the full study

Wine production increased by 73.1% from 405,954 gallons in 2011 to 702,671 in 2016. The number of wineries in the state increased from 38 to 50, and wine, grapes and related industries accounted for 1,979 jobs (up 35.4% from 1,462 in 2011) according to the study with the majority of the jobs being in the actual wineries and vineyards with an associated payroll of $85.57 million.  Grape bearing acres also grew 23/3% from 1,283 to 1,582 acres.

The New Jersey wine and grape industry also generates significant tax dollars, benefiting federal, state and local governments. New Jersey’s wine, grape and allied industries paid $23.24 million in federal taxes and $17.73 million in state and local taxes in 2016, including roughly $2.35 million in total excise taxes.

 The study estimates the retail value of New Jersey wine sold at about $29.53 million in 2016, up from $21.46 million in 2011. The majority of New Jersey wineries are small, producing less than 5,000 cases a year, and a majority of them sell their wine directly to consumers through winery tasting rooms.

 “This economic impact study clearly shows the positive role our wineries and wine-related industries are having on the state’s economy not only from jobs and tax revenue, but also from helping to boost tourism in the state,” said Valerie Tishuk, Chair of the Garden State Wine Growers Association.

 Wine is certainly making an impact not only in New Jersey but across the country as well. In September of 2017, WineAmerica, the National Association of American Wineries, unveiled a national impact study pegged the wine industry’s total benefit to the U.S. economy at $219.9 billion in 2017.

 According to the GSWGA study, tourism continues to be a material factor in the New Jersey wine and grape industry’s overall impact on the broader state economy. A survey of New Jersey wineries estimates that 108,813 tourists visited New Jersey wineries in 2016. Supporting these winery visitors is a diverse labor force of approximately 357 employees with total wages of approximately $12.9 million. The continued increase of tourist visits over the past several years can be attributed to the increased number of New Jersey wineries and continued improvement in wine quality, providing more destinations and opportunities for visitors to experience New Jersey wine country.  

“While these figures are encouraging, they also show that there is a lot more work to be done in making our wine industry a focal point of beverage tourism in New Jersey,” noted Tom Cosentino, Executive Director of the GSWGA.

 As outlined in the study, despite the increase in winery-related visitors from 2011, total tourism revenue industry wide declined from $20.10 million in 2011 to $19.99 million in 2016.  This is directly attributable to lower average spending per visitor statewide across all tourism sectors as well as fewer number of wineries visited per visit. Specifically, tourism spending per visitor has decreased from $209.66 in 2011 to $183.67 in 2016, a drop of approximately 12.4%.

 “We are confident that the new administration will see the value of using the wine industry to help support and promote tourism in New Jersey and look forward to once again working in a  bipartisan manner with our legislature to create bills that will continue to help us grow,” noted Tishuk.

Executive Director Tom Cosentino (left) and Jack Tomasello, Chair present State Senator James Beach with the Garden State Wine Growers Association’s 2017 Legislator of the Year Award.

The Garden State Wine Growers Association recently honored State Senator James Beach (D) of the 6th Legislative District as the organization’s 2017 Legislator of the Year for his tireless efforts to support the New Jersey wine industry.  The honor was bestowed on Senator Beach by Garden State Wine Growers Association Chair Jack Tomasello of Tomasello Winery and Tom Cosentino, Executive Director, at a special event held July 21 at Amalthea Cellars Winery in Atco. Beach is the Assistant Majority Leader in the Senate.

“We are going to keep working to help grow New Jersey’s wine industry,” said Beach upon receiving a special plaque commemorating the honor. “Senator Sweeney has led the way in in developing legislation to support the wine industry and we are going to continue to work on a lot of different legislation to continue building on that.”  

“Our goal is to expand tourism in the state with our wine industry,” said Chair Jack Tomasello. “We believe our wineries can serve as a feeder system for the restaurant, hotel and other industries and we commend Senator Beach for supporting our efforts to do so.”

Executive Director Tom Cosentino noted, “Senator Beach has been very instrumental in working behind the scenes to ensure that legislation that can allow our industry to grow, continues moving forward. He is a great friend of New Jersey’s wine industry.”

The Garden State Wine Growers Association’s At the Vineyards  show puts the spotlight on vineyards throughout the state and allows consumers to see how each visit to a winery provides a unique experience. 

The At the Vineyards series is funded through  a USDA Crop Grant and by the Garden State Wine Growers Association.

The newest edition of the At the Vineyards Show features a visit to Heritage Vineyards in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, which is located in Gloucester County.  

The Heritage property has been farmed by the Heritage family for six generations since 1853. Bill Heritage and his wife Penni are the owners. The farm was originally a peach and apple farm but they elected to turn to grapes in 1999. In 2001 the winery opened and they have been one of the state’s best vineyards since, winning the Winery of the Year in 2011, 2014 and 2015 in the NJ Wine Competition.  Heritage Vineyards is located in the Outer Coastal Plain AVA region.

The Garden State Wine Growers Association (GSWGA), the advocacy organization that represents over 50 wineries, grape growers and associated member companies in New Jersey today released the first edition of its new At the Vineyard show on You Tube, featuring Four Sisters Winery located in Belvidere, NJ.

The At the Vineyard show is funded through a USDA Crop Grant and by the Garden State Wine Growers Association.  Funding for Crop Grants is not included in the Trump Administration’s proposed 2018 budget.

 “The GSWGA’s ongoing mission has been to increase the awareness, appreciation and quality of wines produced in New Jersey.  The At the Vineyard show puts the spotlight on vineyards throughout the state and allows consumers to see how each visit to a winery provides a unique experience,” said Tom Cosentino, GSWGA Executive Director and host of the show.

 New Jersey wines are being recognized nationally for their excellence in renowned wine competitions and the industry has seen tremendous growth with over 50 licensed wineries now operating in the state.

 The first program features owner and winemaker Matty Matarazzo of Four Sisters Winery, which has been in operation for 34 years.  The winery is located in the Warren Hills American Viticulture region, one of three Federally recognized AVA grape growing regions in the state.  The others are the Outer Coastal Plain in South Jersey and the Central Delaware Valley region. A fourth, the Cape May Peninsula is awaiting Federal approval and would become a sub-appellation of the Outer Coastal Plain.

NJ Discover is producing the series for the GSWGA.  Ten shows are planned through the fall of 2017.

 From only a dozen wineries open in 2000 to the 50 open today, the New Jersey wine industry is growing across the state with many more wineries due to open in the next couple of years.

 For a full list of participating wineries and details of the special offerings at each location, visit www.newjerseywines.com

The newest member of the Garden State Wine Growers Association is White Horse Winery, which officially opened its tasting room and winery to the public on July 15 in Hammonton.  Located at 106 Hall Street in Hammonton just down the road from Sharrott Winery, White Horse Winery boasts one of the state’s largest tasting rooms, which is highlighted by a vaulted ceiling and a 22 foot long bar.

White Horse Winery is owned by Brock J. Vinton and his son B.J.  A successful real estate developer, Brock has been involved with fine wines since the 1960’s.  In the 1980’s Vinton became an investor in wineries in Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder and Paso Robles. His wife Yvonne is a native Californian, whose family farms extensive vineyard holdings in the Lodi area. He is committed to selecting the optimal grape varietals for the local terroir, along with giving the utmost attention to their cultivation, fermentation, blending and aging in French, Hungarian, and American oak barrels.

BJ Vinton began working in the vineyards and cellars in Cognac, France when he was 16.  He later studied in Bordeaux and worked in Beaujolais. He also completed an undergraduate thesis on the future of the micro-brewing segment of the brewing industry. He went on to work in manufacturing R&D, eventually started an engineering company and among other projects developed and patented a wind turbine and is looking forward to having a successful vineyard in New Jersey.

The winery boasts over 60 acres with about a third of the area currently planted with plenty of vinifera stock, including Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and a number of hybrids including Chambourcin, Vidal blanc and Traminette. There are plans as well for future expansion, which will provide plenty of great grape varietals for winemaker Seferino Cotzojay to work with.  Cotzojay, a Guatemalan native, comes to White Horse Winery from the award-winning Bedell Cellars on Long Island where he worked as the assistant wine maker.

Cotzojay is looking forward to putting his touch to the grapes of the Outer Coastal Plain region. The winemaker’s style is to provide wines that are naturally crisp and have a nice finish.  

“It’s been a fun transition from Long Island to New Jersey,” notes Cotzojay. “I believe New Jersey has the potential for creating world class wines.  White Horse Winery wines will provide customers with a unique experience.”

The Garden State Wine Growers Association will host its annual Barrel Trail Weekend on Saturday and Sunday July 16-17 at participating wineries across the state. Visitors to New Jersey wineries and vineyards will have the opportunity to sample future award-winning vintages direct from the barrel room; enjoy wine tastings, new wine releases; tour the vineyards; and hear discussions on the wine making process from wine makers.New Jersey wines have been winning medals in renowned wine competitions. The state’s soil conditions, weather and grape varieties all factor into the wine making process and the public will get a first-hand look at the process during the weekend events planned at wineries throughout the state.“Barrel Trail weekend is designed to give visitors to our state’s wineries a chance to learn the wine making process,” said Tom Cosentino, Executive Director of the Garden State Wine Growers Association.All New Jersey wineries will be open for tastings and activities on Barrel Trail Weekend. To find a winery, visit http://www.newjerseywines.com. Updated listings of events are available at http://www.newjerseywines.com/events. 'Some of the activities being planned at wineries include: historic Renault Winery in Egg Harbor, the third oldest winery in the United States, will offer guests a historic tour of the winery, along with wine tasting including one tasting straight from the barrel. The tour and tasting, costs $10 a person. Plagidos Winery in Hammonton, the 2016 NJ Winery of the Year, will sample wines with some special barrel samples. They will be giving visitors a sneak peek at their 2015 vintages for $10 per person. Four Sisters Winery in Belvidere will offer wine tasting, a souvenir wine glass and strolling vineyard and wine cellar tours for $5. Guests will be able to sample their Beaver Creek Red from the cellar cask in several phases and can try two new releases: Robin’s Raspberry - 100% red raspberry wine named after one of the four sisters and Warren Hills White - semi-sweet white wine named after the Warren Hills Viticulture Region. At 4 JG’s Orchards & Vineyard in Colts Neck, guests will enjoy wine tasting and barrel samples and hear winemaker Craig Donofrio conduct an Informative discussion of the use of oak barrels to enhance flavor.