Forget Napa Valley! NJ Wines Are Better Than You Think

Beneduce Vineyards in Pittstown is considered one of the top wineries in New Jersey. Photo: Laura Moss

Mention New Jersey wine to a friend, and you might get a skeptical response like, “New Jersey has wine? Is it any good?” The answer is an emphatic yes. There are more than 60 wineries across the state, and the quality, on the whole, ranges from very good to excellent.

In fact, the New Jersey terroir (a French term for the natural environment in which wine is produced, including the soil and climate) is thought, in some areas, to mirror parts of France, the world leader in fine wine. Cape May, in particular, has become a premier wine-growing region in the state, with its sandy soil akin to the famous grape-growing Bordeaux region of France. Cape May wineries produce excellent cabernet sauvignon, merlot and sauvignon blanc wines.

But, unlike some wine-tasting rooms in France, those in New Jersey lack pretension and offer a chance to learn about an industry that is quickly becoming one of the most exciting new wine regions in the country.

Susanne Wagner, the wine director at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, which has a renowned wine cellar with 45,000 bottles, has been observing the Garden State wine industry for the past 20 years and is excited by what she’s seen.

“I think the quality has gone from lovely wines that are basic, and you could tell they were from New Jersey, to, Now I’m tasting wine from here that could be from anywhere in the world. It could be European or Californian. You just can’t necessarily tell anymore that they’re from New Jersey,” she says. “So I think they’re starting to play a role in the international market. They’re really up there in quality.”

Beneduce produces only 100 percent estate-grown wines, including pinot noir. Photo: Laura Moss

Beneduce Vineyards in Pittstown is considered one of the top wineries in the state. Mike Beneduce, the owner and winemaker, worked at a vineyard while studying plant sciences and viticulture/enology at Cornell University. In his junior year, he started planting grapes on his family’s farm in Hunterdon County; the vineyard opened in 2012.

“Our goal was always to be a 100 percent estate-grown vineyard,” explains Beneduce, who runs the the winery with his wife, Corey. Since 2021, they have solely used grapes grown on their farm. “We’re working hard to find out which are the best varieties to grow, so that we can make the highest-quality wine possible.”

That tenacity has paid off. Beneduce has been recognized multiple times by the Garden State Wineries Governor’s Cup in various categories for best wine, and he was named New Jersey’s outstanding Farmer of the Year in 2022.

The cover of New Jersey Monthly's September 2024 issue, featuring Laura Bell Bundy on her Tewksbury farm

Buy our September 2024 issue here. Cover photo: Chris Buck

The vineyard’s white wines are mainly riesling, chardonnay and gewürztraminer; for reds, they concentrate on pinot noir, cabernet franc, and their version of an Austrian red called blaufränkisch, which has become Beneduce’s signature red.

Auburn Road in Pilesgrove, Salem County, is another top winery. Owners Scott and Julianne Donnini both left successful law practices 20 years ago to start their own winemaking business. When they began, it quickly became evident that Julianne was going to become the winemaker, says Scott. Now, they have 23 acres of vineyards on land considered optimal for growing grapes, as it’s located near both the Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. This helps keep the weather temperate. Auburn Road is known for their chardonnay, which is aged in French oak, as well as their dry rosé and cabernet franc blend.

Like many vineyards in New Jersey, they host outdoor wine-tasting events to help bring in wine lovers, both new and old, and serve pizza and small bites.

Where to Find New Jersey Wine

One reason many New Jerseyans may be unaware of the high-quality wine being produced here is that it’s not that easy to find in local wine stores. That’s partly because many, such as Beneduce wines, come from smaller, boutique vineyards that only produce enough wine to sell at their tasting rooms and for their wine clubs.

For instance, Beneduce produces around 5,000 cases a year, and it always sells out—both to visitors and to its wine club. Many local vineyards have wine clubs, in which a seasonal selection of wine, curated by the winemaker, is shipped to members. Membership levels vary.

“For a small winery like ours, we’d rather have people visit our farm and see the attention and care we’re putting into growing the grapes and making the wine,” says Beneduce. “It creates a more loyal consumer than just putting your bottle on a shelf next to a thousand other bottles, where you don’t have the chance to tell your story or give people a unique experience.”

Beneduce has been producing wine since 2012. Photo: Laura Moss

Hawk Haven Vineyard in Rio Grande, Cape May County, has 300 members in its wine club and also sells out its wine production each year. On a recent summer Friday, the vineyard was buzzing with visitors to its lively weekly event called Rootstock, where a band was playing to an enthusiastic crowd. A food truck was parked out back. Todd and Kenna Wuerker opened the vineyard in 2009, and since then, their wines have been recognized for their quality. The 2023 petite sirah rosé and the Fizz Nouveau, a sparkling rosé, were especially lovely.

Just How Good Is It?

In 2012, Garden State wineries took part in a wine-tasting event at Princeton University known as the Judgment of Princeton, where the New Jersey wines surprisingly outperformed many of the foreign imports. In 2023, at a double-blind tasting, not a single person in the room was able to distinguish between the New Jersey wines and the bottles from other countries valued at several hundred dollars each, says Devon Perry, executive director of the Garden State Wine Growers Association, which has been around for almost 40 years and promotes locally grown wine.

She wants more people to be aware of state’s exceptional wines, noting that tasting is believing. “The wine really does speak for itself. We give people what’s called an epiphany wine experience nearly every day. People are shocked at how exceptional our wines are….I think the awareness of our high-quality wines has absolutely grown since 2012,” she says.

Jeffrey Vasser, executive director at New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, agrees that the quality of New Jersey wines has increased tremendously over the past several years.

“Our winemakers have made a commitment to producing the best wines possible, and it shows. If you haven’t had a bottle of New Jersey wine in the past 10 years, you will be astounded at how good they are,” he says.

Visiting a New Jersey Winery

Hawk Haven Vineyard also offers wine tastings and live music events throughout the fall, as do many other New Jersey wineries. It’s a great way to get to know the wine and the people behind it firsthand.

Visiting a local vineyard, taking a tour, and visiting their tasting rooms may be the most enjoyable way to truly escape our day-to-day, says Perry. “At the same time, you’re supporting farmers, you’re supporting agritourism, and you’ll have an experience unlike anywhere else, where every winery you visit is family owned,” she says. “The wines in New Jersey are exceptional and rising.”

So what does Beneduce say to critics who are skeptical that New Jersey wines are on par with Californian and European wines?

“I think it’s up to people to decide if it’s any good—but the quality has really improved exponentially in the last decade. We finally have enough collective experience to start figuring out which varieties work here. And we’ve garnered national and international attention, with top scores from critics that taste wine all day, who are giving us scores of 92 and 93 points. I think the quality of the wine here is the best it’s ever been. And certainly, for people that are interested in eating local and drinking local, there’s nothing better than having a meal with locally grown food and local wine.”

New Jersey’s Top Wineries

Visit one of these wineries for a wonderful bottle and experience.

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