A
1995 Cabernet Franc from Sylvin Farms Winery and
a 1998 Cranberry Wine from Cream Ridge Vineyards
and Champagne Cellars were the winners of the 1999 "Governor's
Cup" and "Fruit Wine Governor's Cup" for the best
New Jersey grape and fruit wines produced in New
Jersey during 1998. A complete list of wineries
and awards follows. The presentation of the Governor's
Cups to winemakers Dr. Frank Salek and Tom Amabile
was one of the highlights of the March 13 "Grape
Expectations," a day-long symposium on viticulture
and enology, the sciences of growing grapes and
making wine. Presenting the Governor's Cup were
Carol Shipp, Chief of Staff, New Jersey Department
of Agriculture, and Dr. Zane Helsel, Director of
Extension and Dean of Outreach at Cook College,
Rutgers University. The annual event was sponsored
by Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the Department
of Agriculture's New Jersey Wine Industry Advisory
Council. The annual symposium is a day-long series
of lectures by outstanding professionals in viticulture
and enology. The conference theme this year was "Vineyard
Pest Management" and "Healthy Fermentations." Specific
topics included cultural practices for managing
vineyard pests, a review of pesticide record-keeping
software, pre- and post-plant vineyard pest management,
approaches to deer and bird management, and in-depth
presentations on the the basics of fermentation
and yeast strain management. Lectures were designed
to present new and relevant information on pressing
issues in the industry to professional, amateur
and prospective persons involved with any aspect
of grape growing or wine making. The Governor's
Cup winner was selected from the wines submitted
by New Jersey wineries during the 14th annual New
Jersey Wine Competition held in February. The competition
promotes excellence in the quality of New Jersey
wine. Entries were judged on individual varietal
character and enological merit. Sylvin Farms has
been in existence since 1976, and was founded as
a winery in 1985 by Sylvia and Franklin Salek.
Nestled on a knoll between the Mullca and Great
Harbor rivers, a maritime climate is created by
the moderating influences of these rivers and the
Atlantic Ocean and bays. Coupled with the vineyard's "gravelly
loam" soil, the growing conditions closely resemble
those of the most famous grape- producing regions
of Europe. One of the smallest New Jersey wineries,
Sylvin Farms is a true "roots to fruits" operation.
Dr. Salek has personally grafted all of the vines
onto phylloxera-resistant root stock himself. Sylvin
farms has acquired a unique reputation as a farm
winery by devoting its energies exclusively to
the production of vinifera (European) grape varieties.
Sylvin Farms is the only New Jersey winery growing
some of the vinifera varieties. In addition to
their award-winning >95 Cabernet Franc, Sylvin
Farms also won two silver medals and three bronze
medals. Owner-operators Tom and Joan Amabile established
Cream Ridge Vineyards & Champagne Cellars,
located on Route 539 in Cream Ridge, Upper Freehold
Township, Monmouth County, in 1988 and feature
premium quality fruit wines made from locally-grown
fruits grown, as well as champagne and selected
European-style dry wines. Vintner Amabile is an
enology lecturer and prize-winning professional
winemaker with more than 25 years of experience.
In addition to their award-winning >98 Cranberry
Wine, Cream Ridge Vineyards also won two other
gold medals, four silver medals, and five bronze
medals for a New Jersey Wine Competition high of
twelve medals. The 12 judges for the wine competition
were members of the Society of Wine Educators,
the American Wine Society, representatives of the
region's largest commercial distributors and various
wine industry publications. commended New Jersey
wineries on the overall quality of the entries,
noting continued progress in the effort to produce
fine wines in the Garden State. Six gold medals
were awarded to this year's competitors, including
the Governor's Cup. The other gold medalists included
a Blanc de Noir from Sylvin Farms, an Amalthea
Winery Merlot, a Villard Noir from Tomasello Winery,
and Cream Ridge Vineyards for A Perfect Blend and
Cilegia Amabile. New Jersey wines have been winning
awards since the first New Jerseyans cultivated
wine producing vineyards for the British Empire
in the mid-1700's. In fact, by 1767, London's Royal
Society of Arts recognized two New Jersey vintners
for their success in producing the first bottles
of quality wine derived from colonial agriculture.
Two distinctly different climatic areas exist in
New Jersey, though both rely on the climate-moderating
influences of the Delaware River and Atlantic Ocean.
The viticultural regions in the south date back
to the 1800s when a thriving wine and grape juice
industry was concentrated in Vineland, Atlantic
County. South Jersey vineyards are characterized
by a maritime climate with flat or low hills and
sandy soils. The northern viticultural regions
have developed over the past two decades. This
area is typified by hilly terrain and hillside
vineyards with limestone or shale soils. In 1988,
the first federally-designated viticultural area
entirely within New Jersey borders was established
in Warren County. The three major wine grape categories
produced in New Jersey are Vinifera, French-American
Hybrids, and Native American. Very little native
American is produced anymore due to the more sophisticated
palates of consumers. Although the New Jersey industry
strives to produce more Vinifera wines due to their
superior quality and consumer recognition, their
inherently delicate nature makes them more prone
to pests, diseases and cold intolerance. French-American
Hybrids are predominantly produced in New Jersey
because of their hardy nature and excellent quality. New
Jersey's 16 wineries produce about 190,000 gallons
of wine per year, placing New Jersey in the top
15 wine-producing states in the nation. Most wineries
are family-owned and operated. All are open for
tours and offer a selection of fine wines for tasting
and sales. There are over 40 different varieties
of wines available in the Garden State ranging
from dry and semi-dry table wines to sparkling,
fruit and dessert wines. Call the New Jersey Wine
Line toll-free at 1-800-524-0043, or access the
industry web site at www.newjerseywines.com for
more information on industry special events. For
more information on New Jersey wines, contact Bill
Walker, New Jersey Wine Industry Advisory Council,
(609) 292-8854; Dr. Joseph Fiola, Rutgers Fruit
Research & Development Center, (609) 758-7311;
or Dr. Gary Pavlis, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
of Atlantic County, (609) 625-0056. For additional
information about Sylvin Farms Winery, call (609)
965-1548 or (201) 778-1494. For additional information
about Cream Ridge Vineyards, call (609) 259-9797.
1999
WINE COMPETITION AWARDS
ATLANTIC
COUNTY
- AMALTHEA
CELLARS, Louis Caraciollo, Proprietor,
267A Hayes Mill Road, Atco, (609) 768-8585
Gold Medal: '97 Merlot
Silver Medals: '97 Chancellor Reserve, '95 Chardonnay
Reserve
Bronze Medals: '94 Metis Sparkling, '91 Chancellor Reserve,
'91 Chancellor, '92 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
SYLVIN
FARMS, Dr. Frank Salek, Proprietor, 24 No. Vienna Avenue, Germania,
(609) 965-1548 or (201) 778-1494
Gold Medal: GOVERNOR'S CUP & Best
Vinifera - '95 Cabernet Franc
Silver Medals: '97 Sauvignon Blanc, Best Sparkling - '94
Blanc De Noir
Bronze Medals: '95 Merlot, '95 Cabernet Sauvignon, '95 Pinot
Noir
- TOMASELLO
WINERY, Charles Tomasello, Jr., and Jack
Tomasello, Proprietors, 225 White Horse Pike,
Hammonton, 1-800-MMM-WINE
Gold Medal: Best Hybrid
- '97 Villard Noir
Silver Medals: NV Red Raspberry, '98 Tre Monet
Bronze Medals: '96 Chambourcin, '97 Epilogue, '97 Cabernet
Sauvignon, '97 Chardonnay Oak Reserve,
'97 Cabernet Franc
CAPE
MAY COUNTY
- CAPE
MAY WINERY & VINEYARD, Bill & Joan
Hayes, Proprietors, 709 Townbank Road, Cape
May, (609) 884-1169
Bronze Medals: '97 Cabernet
Sauvignon, '96 Merlot, '97 Chardonnay Reserve, '96 Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserve
HUNTERDON
COUNTY
- KING'S
ROAD VINEYARD, Nicolaas Opdam, Manager & Winemaker,
Route 579, Asbury, (800) 479-6479
Silver Medal: '97 Riesling
POOR
RICHARD'S WINERY, Richard Dilts, Proprietor, 220 Ridge Road,
Frenchtown, (908) 996-6480
Bronze Medals: '95 Chambourcin,
'95 Seyval Blanc (Barrel-Fermented)
- UNIONVILLE
VINEYARDS, Kris Nielsen and Patricia
Galloway, Proprietors; John Altmaier, Winemaker,
9 Rocktown Road, Ringoes, (908) 788-0400
Silver Medal: '97 Windfall
Seyval
Bronze Medals: '97 Hunter's Red Reserve, '97 Fields
Of Fire, '96 Hunter's White Reserve, '97 Cabernet Sauvignon,
'97 Chardonnay, '97 Hunter's White, '98 Riesling
MONMOUTH
COUNTY
- CREAM
RIDGE VINEYARDS AND CHAMPAGNE CELLARS,
Tom & Joan Amabile, Proprietors, Route
539, Cream Ridge, (609) 259-9797
Gold Medals: FRUIT GOVERNORS
CUP & Best Fruit/Dessert Wine - '98 Cranberry, '97 A Perfect
Blend,
'98 Ciliegia Amabile
Silver Medals: '98 Raley's Red, '98 Apricot, '98 Aurelio,
'98 Red Raspberry
Bronze Medals: '97 Riesling, '98 Plum, '98 Blackberry, '98
Rhubarb, '97 Chardonnay
WARREN
COUNTY
- ALBA
VINEYARD, Rudy Marchesi & Tom Sharko,
Proprietors, 269 Route 627, Milford, (908)
995-7800
Bronze Medals: NV Mainsyl
White, '97 Heritage, NV Old Mill Red, '97 Vidal Blanc, NV Red
Raspberry,
'98 Riesling, '97 Riesling
- FOUR
SISTERS WINERY AT MATARAZZO FARMS, Robert
Matarazzo, Proprietor, 10 Doe Hollow Lane/Route
519, Belvidere, (908) 475-3671
Silver Medal: Best American
- NV Beaver Creek Red
Bronze Medal: NV Cedar Hill Rose, NV Holiday Seasoned
ADDITIONAL
NEW JERSEY WINERIES
ATLANTIC
COUNTY
- BALIC
WINERY, Savo Balic, Proprietor, Route
40, Mays Landing, (609) 625-2166
- RENAULT
WINERY, Joseph Milza, Proprietor, 72
N. Breman Avenue, Egg Harbor/Galloway, (609)
965-2111
BURLINGTON
COUNTY
- VALENZANO
WINERY, Anthony Valenzano Sr. & Anthony
Valenzano, Jr., Proprietors, 340 Forked Neck
Road, Shamong, (609) 268-6731
HUNTERDON
COUNTY
- AMWELL
VALLEY VINEYARD, Jeff Fisher, Proprietor,
80 Old York Road, Ringoes, (908) 788-5852
SOMERSET
COUNTY
- LAFOLLETTE
VINEYARD & WINERY, Mimi Summerskill,
Proprietor, 64 Harlingen Road, Belle Mead,
(908) 359-8833
WARREN
COUNTY
- TAMUZZA
VINEYARDS, Paul Tamuzza, Proprietor,
Cemetery Road, Hope, (908) 459-5878
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