Whether it’s a wedding, a college graduation or a business conference, there’s something about coming together as a community—whatever that community looks like—that allows us all to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, how far we’ve come and how exciting the future is.
The New Jersey wine community recently kicked off its first annual wine month, which began with a celebration and grand tasting on November 9 at the NJ Wine Expo: to say the event was anything less than a rousing success and an inspiration for both presenters, observers and attendees would be a wild understatement.
The event, held at Bell Works Ballroom featured more than 30 wineries and vineyards pouring samples and sharing insights with attendees, none other than the New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn addressing the crowd, and a range of industry insiders conducting Main Stage conversations and educational pop-ups.
“The first NJ Wine Expo was an enormous success and represented the culmination of so much effort and tireless work, education and dedication over the years on the part of our winemakers and growers here in the Garden State,” says Devon Perry, Executive Director of the Garden State Wine Growers Association. “We were thrilled that more than 1,500 wine lovers attended, and we couldn’t have done it without the amazing help and outreach from our partners and supporters at New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, WHYY, the Haddon Film Company, the NJ Restaurant & Hospitality Association, the USDA, American National Insurance, Dempsey Weiss Insurance & Associates, Edible Jersey, Wine and Beer Supply, and so many more!”
As with many large events that end up meeting, if not exceeding, hopes and expectations going in, the first few days following it were an opportunity to rest and reflect. We reached out to a few of New Jersey wine’s industry insiders and observers for their thoughts on takeaways.
The Expo Smashed Any Remaining Stereotypes
New Jersey wine has grown up, and the NJ Wine Expo proved it, says Dr. Seth M. Porter, Senior Executive Director of Innovation & Technology and Dean of the Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado, and a Wine Policy & Business Analyst.
“The Expo and NJ Wine Month were transformative,” Dr. Porter says. “They united winemakers, consumers, media, and academics in analysis and celebration of New Jersey wine. The events showcased the state’s progress and potential. The wine industry has seen remarkable growth in quality, and consumers are embracing local wines and moving past old stereotypes to recognize the state’s potential.”
For writer and writing professor Amy Beth Wright, the Expo was a revelation and a very welcome introduction to Garden State viticulture.
“The NJ Wine Expo offered a rare opportunity to taste wines from all four of New Jersey’s American Viticultural Areas in one immersive afternoon, and a chance to talk with a broad population, all with a stake in the evolution of New Jersey wine,” Wright says. “I also glimpsed a collegial and jubilant winemaking community that’s invigorated by the vast potential of estate and locally grown grapes.”
Hank Zona, a wine writer and event planner, says he was personally “blown away” by the engagement and enthusiasm he saw from winemakers and the public alike at the Expo. The excitement was so palpable, his plan to run one panel discussion there mushroomed.
“It morphed into half a dozen panels I pulled together,” Zona says. “The number of attendees and their positive feedback, plus the knowledge a number of them had about at least a couple of favorite NJ wineries was surprising. I think many of the participating wineries were also surprised and excited.”
Carlo DeVito, a wine writer, author of more than 20 books, founder of New York’s Hudson-Chatham Winery, and previous interim winemaker at Unionville Vineyards, says that the Expo underlined the progress Garden State winemakers have made in recent decades, for any remaining doubters.
“I have been drinking New Jersey wines since I graduated high school back during the Reconstruction,” DeVito jokes. “I was inspired by my visits to the Cream Ridge Winery, and by owner Tom Amiable, to make wine and own a winery myself. The changes I have seen from then until now have been nothing but seismic.”
Behind NJ’s Viticultural Revolution
How did New Jersey do it? The old-fashioned way, DeVito says: book learnin’ and elbow grease.
“Today there are a number of really terrific producers making quality wines in every part of the state, from north to south,” DeVito says. “Exceptional Chardonnays, complex Cabernet Francs, great Pinot Grigio, and other wonderful wines. That happened for a myriad of reasons, but first and foremost because there is so much information on growing and winemaking being traded and discovered.”
He credits viticultural practices like leaf pulling, dropping fruit, planting vines more densely, which are widespread now, with improving grape quality. Add to that improvements in machinery, a growing array of commercial wine yeast options and a variety of lab improvements with also upping New Jersey’s wine production game.
Behind Consumer Engagement With NJ Wine
All of the improvements in the world aren’t going to help the best wine brands though if no one drinks your wine. Thankfully, social media has helped provide winemakers with a way to directly reach would-be wine lovers.
“Social media has been a game changer,” DeVito says. “Small farm wineries now have the ability to promote their newest releases and events, as well as tell their stories. Winemakers were once thought of as snobby gastronomic elite, but social media has helped show them as agronomic heroes, farmers with a cause.”
As NJ wine continues to evolve, Dr. Porter hopes winemakers continue to “focus on consistent quality. By prioritizing excellence and fostering a unified industry identity, New Jersey wines can achieve broader recognition.”
New Jersey’s viticultural revolution is here. Now it’s time to let everyone else know. As the holiday season approaches, bring a bottle of your favorite NJ wine to gatherings, and get ready to surprise your hosts with a top-notch wine from a winery—and wine region—they may not be aware of!
