Your Fabulous Fall Winery Tour in New Jersey
New Jersey has some of the best wineries.
We live up to our name, Garden State, with the number of farms we have growing everything from corn to tomatoes to blueberries to cranberries to strawberries to wine grapes.
That last one is my favorite.
Between the soil and climate in New Jersey, we have the ideal conditions for growing wine grapes.
New Jersey and some areas of France have similar clients.
New Jersey's average annual temperature is 53.56°, the Champagne region's average annual temperature is around 51.8°, and Burgundy's average annual temperature is about 52°.
The region's climate has a big impact on growing wine grapes.
The oldest, continuously producing winery in New Jersey is Renault Winery in Egg Harbor City. The winery first started planting grapes in 1864, making it 160 years old.
Fun Fact: Nucky Johnson (Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire) worked at Renault.
I have been to Renault for a wine-tasting and winery tour where I got to try their American Champagne, which is fantastic. They do both bottle and steel barrel fermenting for their American Champagne.
The newest winery in New Jersey is Saddlehill which sits on land with a fascinating history.
According to their site, "Amid the tumultuous era of the Revolutionary War in 1772, a historic gesture unfolded: George Washington bestowed a 69.8-acre parcel of land in Voorhees to his loyal personal guard, Lt. John Stafford."
The winery officially opened to the public on April 10th, 2024.
From 1864 to 2024, New Jersey has 56 wineries for you to visit.