New
Jersey Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher visited Laurita Winery on
November 17 to help commemorate New Jersey Wine Week, a statewide celebration
of Garden State wine making and grape growing. New Jersey Wine Week, observed
Nov. 14-21, is a joint promotional effort between the NJ Department of
Agriculture and the Garden State Wine Growers Association (GSWGA), designed to
raise awareness and appreciation of the state’s wine industry. New Jersey’s
wine industry, which had just a dozen producers 15 years ago, now features over
50 licensed wineries located from Sussex County to Cape May. 

With
almost 2,000 acres of New Jersey farmland dedicated to grapevine cultivation,
and the state annually ranking in the top 15 in wine production in the United
States, the Garden State has made a major mark in the wine industry. It is the
fastest growing segment of New Jersey agriculture.

Co-owner
Ray Shea gave Secretary Fisher a tour of the vineyard and tasting room and
winemaker Nick Opdam showed the Secretary some of the technology used in the
winery’s production center.  Joining the Secretary on the tour was
Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, whose family’s farm once sat on the grounds of the
winery and Tom Cosentino, executive director of the Garden State Wine Growers
Association.

As
part of New Jersey Wine Week, restaurants, liquor stores and other businesses
are encouraged to team up with New Jersey wineries to showcase wines on their
menu, schedule special pairings with dinner and serve to promote the tremendous
growth of the wine industry in the state.

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