THE TIME THAT NEW JERSEY WINE BEAT FRENCH WINE…
GARDEN STATE WINE GROWERS ASSOCIATION MARKS HISTORICAL MILESTONE
New Jersey to share its rich wine heritage with world-renowned food and beverage buffs to sip and see
Haddonfield, NJ (May 24, 2022)
New Jersey Wine Has Good Reason to Shine in the National Spotlight
The Garden State Wine Growers Association (GSWGA) is wining up for The National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago May 21-24, 2022; see them in Lakeside Center – booth 11355. Professionals in the media, restaurant, foodservice, beverage and hospitality industry will experience a variety of select New Jersey wines while learning about the state’s history that put its beverage on the international map.
“We are excited to showcase our finely grown New Jersey wines to the hospitality community nationwide,” said GSWGA Executive Director, Devon Perry. “We are celebrating the anniversary of our state’s worldwide recognition as a quality wine region. Our victory over French vintage selections in a 2012 blind tasting catapulted the state’s industry. More than sixty vineyards and wineries produce quality wines in New Jersey today. We’re growing on you!’
New Jersey’s viticulture and winemaking has soared to new heights since Garden State wines outshined a series of French and California vintage wines in a competitive blind tasting event held in Princeton, NJ a decade ago. In 2012, The Judgment of Princeton International Wine Summit, bolstered New Jersey wines as equal to, or better than, long-established French and Napa competitor reds, whites, and blends. The American Association of Wine Economists created and modeled the event after the famed 1976 Judgment of Paris, which bestowed international recognition of little-known Napa Valley wines. The Princeton-held event replicated a similar wave of international recognition for New Jersey wines, as French judges preferred NJ red wines over their counterparts from Bordeaux.
“New Jersey wines have remained high on the world stage since famed-wine journalist, George Taber, officiated the Judgment of Princeton in 2012,” shares Louis Caracciolo, GSWGA founder, Judgment of Princeton International Wine Summit event organizer, and owner of Amalthea Cellars.
George Taber, a writer for Time Magazine, was the only journalist to attend the historical 1976 international event, The Judgment of Paris. It was a blind tasting by French wine experts in which Napa Valley start-up wines outscored French vintage varieties. Taber’s report elevated Napa Valley high on the world wine stage, while stripping France of its long-standing reign. The shocking notion that the U.S. could produce fine wines forever changed the trajectory of the industry on an international scale.
Taber recounts significant milestones that grew out of this historic tasting event in his book, “The Judgment of Paris.” Taber claims the event’s results repositioned the industry and sparked a golden age for viticulture across the globe.
Nearly 50 years following The Judgment of Paris, and 10 years since New Jersey’s recognition at The Judgment of Princeton International Wine Summit, Garden State winemakers toast in honor of their accolades among the 11,000+ wineries operating in the United States today.
Judgment of Princeton in 2012
Celebrating The Ten-Year Anniversary Recognizing New Jersey Wines Worldwide
Judgment of Princeton – It’s Real Significance
Judgment of Princeton – Its Real Significance | Elliott Morss (morssglobalfinance.com)
At Judgment of Princeton, New Jersey Wines Prove Competitive
At the Judgment of Princeton, New Jersey wines prove competitive – nj.com
“Judgment of Paris”
New Jersey claim to fame “The Judgment of Princeton” was modeled after the industry hailed event “Judgment of Paris,” which put California wines on the international map.
The Judgment of Paris Changed the World of Wine…Forever
The Judgment of Paris – Notable Wine History – Carpe Travel (carpe-travel.com)
Judgment of Paris: The Tasting That Changed Wine Forever
Judgment of Paris: The tasting that changed wine forever | CNN Travel
About Garden State Wine Growers Association
The Garden State Wine Growers Association is a non-profit organization of New Jersey-based wineries, vineyards and allied businesses. It serves as a centralized information repository, resource and clearing house for industry members, and offers a unified voice advocating for issues important to the entire range of New Jersey winery and vineyard operations. Central to this mission are efforts toward branding, marketing, public relations, education, and legislation and regulation for the furtherance of the vineyard and wine industries in the Garden State.
As of 2022, more than 60 wineries and vineyards flourish throughout all corners of New Jersey’s grape-loving plains, producing nearly one million gallons of wine annually. There are four American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), or specific geographic and climatic regions in the state of New Jersey supporting 80+ varieties of grapes growing in the garden state: Cape May Peninsula, The Central Delaware Valley AVA, which is shared with portions of Eastern Pennsylvania, the Outer Coastal Plain AVA covering 9 southern counties and the Warren Hills AVA. In order for a region to be approved as an AVA, it must be able to prove its identity as a region that is beneficial to grape growing. Some of the criteria used by the Federal government to determine whether an area meets this standard include distinct climate, soil type, elevation and other physical features, as well as a history or wine grape growing. New Jersey wines continue to garner awards and recognition on both a national and international scale.
