New Jersey vineyards continue to attract attention as producers of nice-priced, quality wines and as fun places to visit. You can get a taste of both during a Wine Trail Weekend organized by the Garden State Wine Growers Association. The Mother’s Day Wine Trail, offered noon to 5 pm on May 11 and 12, is a great way to bond with moms, aunts, grandmas and sisters. Forty Jersey wineries are participating; you can choose one of six different trails throughout the state (maps available at newjerseywines.com), from the Sussex County trail in the north to the Cape May trail at the southern tip. Each destination will present entertainment with moms in mind, including cooking demonstrations, live music, and food and dessert pairings to add to the vinous pleasures. Most tastings are free or under $10, depending on the winery.
May also brings the association’s annual Blues & Wine Festival at scenic Natirar Park in Somerset County. More than 250 award-winning Jersey wines will be available for tasting in the souvenir wine glass that comes with the $25 admission ($20 in advance at newjerseywines.com). Wines can be purchased by the bottle or case. Live blues music and plenty of gourmet food add to the fun. The festival runs noon to 5 pm, May 25 and 26. (Rain date: May 27.)
The Four Sisters Winery at Matarazzo Farms in Belvidere is pouring on the events in May, including a Cinco De Mayo Murder Mystery Dinner ($53.50 per person, reservations required) that includes wine tastings, a wine cellar tour, buffet-style dinner and an interactive detective game that involves solving a whodunnit in the vineyard. Four Sisters also has a special May 12 event for Mother’s Day, featuring live music, a buffet-style luncheon and, of course, wine tastings from 12:30 to 3:30 pm. Other events at the Belvidere winery include Barefoot Grape Stomping on May 4, Yoga in the Vineyard with a post-session tasting on May 11 and the Muses in the Vineyard Festival on May 18. The latter runs from noon to 8 pm and features an all-female lineup of folk singers and guitar duos. Muses Festival ticket proceeds ($25 online, $35 at the door) will be donated to Angels of the Mark, a local charity for degenerative retinal diseases. Visit musesinthevineyard.com for more information.
Whichever event you choose, don’t forget to designate a driver.