Back in 2018 my cousin Sharma brought over two bottles of local New Jersey wine.  I was a touch skeptical but once I tried the Amalthea Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, I was convinced that the state could produce great wine.  This past weekend we took a trip over the river and went tasting.  All in all there were 17 wines to sample- 5 white wines, 5 reds, 6 Off-dry and one draft wine meant for early consumption.  We thoroughly enjoyed our tasting and then sat on the patio with two of our favorite offerings, a Chardonnay that has been aged Sur Lie, and a Cabernet Sauvignon.

It should be noted that they make two different labelled wines- one from out-of-state fruit, the other sourced locally which carries the namesake.  I made brief comments on the tasting sheet but was really there to enjoy the moment and not get too technical.  Some of the offerings were from varietals that I had never tried before, like Rayon d’Or.  Other, more regular varietals were on tap and showed a wide range of winemaking style and expertise to produce some really delicious wines, some of whom could cellar quite nicely.

If you’re ever in the South/mid New Jersey area and are looking for a fun afternoon of wine tasting, seek them out.  We had a blast and brought home some goodies!  Salut….