Glassboro Vintage South Jersey Wine Festival Get Your Tickets Here!

The South Jersey Tourism Corp. and Glassboro Marketplace are proud to present the first ever wine festival featuring Outer Coastal Plain wines exclusively! Join us Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20 from noon to 5:00pm as we showcase some of the best wines on the east coast. Wineries in attendance include:

Amalthea Cellars, Auburn Road Vineyard and Winery, Bellview Winery, Cedarvale Winery, Chestnut Run Winery, Coda Rossa, DiMatteo Vineyards, Heritage Vineyards, Plagido’s Winery, Sharrott Winery, Tomasello Winery, Valenzano Winery, and Wagonhouse Winery

This flagship event of the Glassboro Marketplace series, which runs from April through October, features wine tasting, live music, gourmet food, and wine for sale by the bottle or case. Tickets are $19 in advance (available until May 14), or $25 at the gate, and include a souvenir glass.

The Rowan Boulevard site is part of a downtown revitilization project connecting the Rowan University campus to Glassboro’s Main Street. (Directions) (Tickets)

Glassboro Vintage South Jersey Wine Festival Get Your Tickets Here!

The South Jersey Tourism Corp. and Glassboro Marketplace are proud to present the first ever wine festival featuring Outer Coastal Plain wines exclusively! Join us Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20 from noon to 5:00pm as we showcase some of the best wines on the east coast. Wineries in attendance include:

Amalthea Cellars, Auburn Road Vineyard and Winery, Bellview Winery, Cedarvale Winery, Chestnut Run Winery, Coda Rossa, DiMatteo Vineyards, Heritage Vineyards, Plagido’s Winery, Sharrott Winery, Tomasello Winery, Valenzano Winery, and Wagonhouse Winery

This flagship event of the Glassboro Marketplace series, which runs from April through October, features wine tasting, live music, gourmet food, and wine for sale by the bottle or case. Tickets are $19 in advance (available until May 14), or $25 at the gate, and include a souvenir glass.

The Rowan Boulevard site is part of a downtown revitilization project connecting the Rowan University campus to Glassboro’s Main Street. (Directions)   (Tickets)

Valenzano Winery
Friday April 20th – 6p
1090 Route 206, Shamong, NJ

Join the XTU Crew for an X-Stop! Your chance to win tickets to the 28th Anniversary Show!
21+ EVENT!!!!!

Wine tasting of a selection of Valenzano Winery’s most popular vintages will be offered during the Ticket Run.
Tasting Fee: $3.00

TICKET RUNS

~ Ticket Runs last approximately 92 Minutes

~Everyone receives ONE raffle ticket, once everyone has one we start pulling numbers. If your number is called you pick a ball out of the tumbler! The color of the ball indicates what tickets you win!

~Orange – Reserved    ~White – Party (Lawn)   ~ Multi-colored – Party & Prize

~You must be 16+ to participate  ~ You may only win once per event  ~ You may not look when picking a ball  ~  XTU employees have the right to disqualify you if they feel you are cheating

~ You  are not GUARANTEED Tickets by attending the Ticket Run ~ Your odds of winning depend on how many people are in attendance!

Valenzano Winery
Friday April 20th – 6p
1090 Route 206, Shamong, NJ

Join the XTU Crew for an X-Stop!  Your chance to win tickets to the 28th Anniversary Show!
21+ EVENT!!!!!

Wine tasting of a selection of Valenzano Winery’s most popular vintages will be offered during the Ticket Run.
Tasting Fee:  $3.00

TICKET RUNS

~ Ticket Runs last approximately 92 Minutes

~Everyone receives ONE raffle ticket, once everyone has one we start pulling numbers. If your number is called you pick a ball out of the tumbler! The color of the ball indicates what tickets you win!

~Orange – Reserved    ~White – Party (Lawn)   ~ Multi-colored – Party & Prize

~You must be 16+ to participate  ~ You may only win once per event  ~ You may not look when picking a ball  ~  XTU employees have the right to disqualify you if they feel you are cheating

~ You  are not GUARANTEED Tickets by attending the Ticket Run ~ Your odds of winning depend on how many people are in attendance!

Valenzano Winery takes home 2 GOLD Medals for our 2009 Merlot and 2010 Cabernet Merlot and HIGHEST SCORED WINE of the competition with our 2010 Cabernet/Merlot.

This is quite an accomplishment considering our $10.00 Cabernet/Merlot was being tasted next to $30.00 – $50.00 bottles of wine from other wineries.  This proves once again that price is no indicator of quality and that Valenzano Winery is committed to bringing you the HIGHEST QUALITY WINES at the MOST AFFORDABLE PRICES!

man… there are a lot of people not happy about this wine competition – I can guarantee you that

“….high scorer of the day—Valenzano Winery’s Cabernet/Merlot blend—took gold in its class. When I later review its total scores, I am reassured to find that all four of us on Panel A had rated it at the top of the group….”     Yes, that would be our soon-to-be-released 2010 Cabernet/Merlot which retails for only $9.99

 Musings On The Vine Reviews Valenzano Wines

28 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by musingsonthevine in Wines

Several years ago we made a trip down the east coast, stopping along the way to visit local wineries. As you might expect this is a frequent pastime of ours and this time we came home with a treasure trove of really nice wines. Among some of our favorites were wines from a quaint winery in New Jersey called Valenzano Winery (http://www.valenzanowine.com/). Valenzano Winery takes pride in producing affordable, high-quality wines, using all local produce, which demonstrates the true potential of New Jersey’s burgeoning wine industry.

During our visit we got to meet Tony and Mark Valenzano, who along with father Tony Sr., are the engine behind this eastern wine making dynamo. At the time of our original visit (2005) we brought back a selection of vinifera and non-vinifera wines, a few of which we put in our recent Wines of North America tasting. The wines showed really well, despite being several years old, which for me validated what I had thought at the time of purchase: these were well-made, age-worthy wines. I sent a note to Tony and Mark to let them know how well their wines were doing and the next thing I knew, we were the happy benefactors of a few of their latest wines.

A small group of Musings stalwarts came together to blind taste the wines – here are my tasting notes, as well as impressions from the group.

2010 Cabernet/Merlot Outer Coastal Plain ($9.99/bottle)
Composition: 40% Cabernet Franc; 40% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Bright, fruity nose with black cherry, blueberry and vanilla hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity and moderate tannin – good balance. Dark fruit core with tobacco leaf, tar and cocoa notes. Long finish, smooth and layered with a hint of tart cherry. Drinking well now – should hold for another 2 to 3 years.

This wine was a favorite of the group – most agreed that it was the most easy drinking, pleasant wines of the grouping.

2010 Merlot Outer Coastal Plain ($14.99/bottle)
Tight nose with menthol, eucalyptus and black cherry hints – very pretty. Medium-bodied with moderate acid and firm, dry tannins – well balanced. Dark fruit core with blackberry, tar, tobacco and cedar notes. Long finish – tight – drinking well – should improve with another 3 to 5 years in the bottle. Quite Bordeaux-like – excellent.

This wine was another favorite of the group – folks felt this wine needed time to open.

2007 Old Indian Mills Blend ($16.99/bottle)
Perfumed nose with cherry, floral and spicy hints – lovely and enticing. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity and dry tannins – good balance. Sour cherry palate with tart, leathery notes. Moderate length with cedar, raspberry and tea flavors on the aftertaste. Drinking well – will likely not improve further – lacks a bit of fruit.

Least favorite of the group – most felt the wine was a little tired and lacked fruit and the vibrancy of the first two wines.

Jersey Devil Port-Styled Wine ($15.99/bottle)
Composition: Cynthiana

Fruity, peppery nose with black currants and balsam hints – a bit medicinal. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and supple tannins – good balance. Black cherry with a candied sweetness on the palate – burnt orange rind hints. Moderate length with a smooth, luxurious finish. Drinking well and may improve with more time in the bottle. Remarkably well put together fortified wine.

Either loved or hated, depending on one’s personal style preference.
Overall, the high quality and modest price point of these wines makes them quite attractive and appealing. A perfect example of great wine making outside of the west coast!

Cheers!

Doors open at 5:00pm.  The first tour starts at 5:30.  You will be able to join in on tour every 40 minutes so it doesn’t matter what time you arrive.  Last tour starts around 7:15 so you want to arrive before then.

Groupon Tours will also be accepted during our Saturday Wine Tours.

Reservations are required for our Saturday Wine Tours
Reservations are not required for Friday Groupon Happy Hour Wine Tours

 To make a reservation for a Saturday tour email your NAME, PHONE NUMBER, and GROUPON CERTIFICATE NUMBER (number in the top right corner of your certificate) to events@valenzanowine.com

now and zin wine blog: Wine Country New Jersey: Valenzano Winery
Wine Country New Jersey: Valenzano Winery
New Jersey’s wine industry is the seventh largest in America, producing over 1.7 million gallons of wine in 2009. According to the Press of Atlantic City, New Jersey’s wine industry has exploded over the past ten years, with four times as many wineries opening their doors over the past decade.

Wine making in New Jersey dates back to the 18th century, although the Garden State’s first commercial winery – Renault – didn’t open until 1864. In 1981, state laws limiting the number of wineries were changed. Now New Jersey boasts over 40 wineries.

Valenzano Winery is a family-operated vineyard located in Shamong, New Jersey, in the New Jersey Pinelands less than an hour east of Philadelphia. They produce wine from grapes grown in Southern New Jersey. The winery was licensed in 1996, taking the winemaking
hobby of Tony Valenzano, Sr. to the commercial level. The Valenzanos now have three locations, and they aim to produce 30,000 gallons of wine – quite a growth from the 500 gallons produced in their inaugural year….

Valenzano Winery states that they aim to produce wines not to please critics, but to please wine drinkers. They make a big claim: “We would match any of our wines against any wines produced in California or Europe in the same price range.” The Valenzano wines range in price from eight to 17 dollars.

Valenzano Winery was kind enough to provide me with four of their wines to sample, and they were quite impressive overall.

Valenzano Merlot 2008
This Merlot is touted as a “West-coast style,” although it has only a 12.5% abv number. It sells for $15. Medium dark in color, light goes through it easily. The nose is very rich and loaded with fruit. Blackberry, plums and cassis stand out. There is a good deal of American
oak spice also prominently displayed. On the palate, smoke, licorice and cinnamon show strongly. Flavors of strawberry and blackberry with the aforementioned smoke are joined by a hint of an herbal note. This green quality is in the background behind the fruit and spice the first night the bottle was open. The herbaceous quality took over on second night and stood as an equal to fruit on the third. It reminds me of Cabernet Franc quite a bit.

Valenzano Merlot 2010
This more recent vintage of Merlot again shows a terrific nose full of fruit. The wine is extremely dark, black almost.
Very aromatic black cherry, mocha and chocolate dominate. There is a vegetal angle which is quite dark – not green, but like black olives. The palate is rich and dark, too, with currant, blackberry, black pepper and black olives in a setting of strong tannins and fantastic acidity. The lengthy finish is much appreciated.

Valenzano Cabernet/Merlot
The bottle shows the 2008 vintage stricken in magic marker, with 2010 written in its place. The label also shows a blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, but Anthony Valenzano tells me the ’10 has 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.

On the nose, this very dark-hued wine displays an incredible array of dark fruit and baking spices. There is also a green element, as if the grapes were whole-cluster pressed. The Cab Franc makes its way to the front of the olfactory show without trouble, while Merlot and
Cabernet Sauvignon assist.

Very clean and appealing on the palate, the Valenzano Cab/Merlot is vibrant and fresh. There’s no mistaking the flavor of the Cabernet Franc, or the lip-smacking acidity. The Merlot’s spice makes a play, as does the minerality of the Cabernet Sauvignon. There is a sour cherry flavor that lingers beautifully into the finish. Tasting this wine on an 80 degree Los Angeles day made the illusion of spring more vivid. I envision this wine will also be great when chilled a bit and served outdoors at summer picnics.

The wine is great for sipping – medium bodied and easy to drink – but has the necessary qualities to make food pairing easy. It grew darker in flavor over the course of several days open. After enjoying it for a while, it hit me that I was drinking a $10 bottle of wine. It’s quite a value at that price.

Valenzano Jersey Devil Port
This Port-style wine is made with Cynthiana grapes – known as Norton in some places – and is fortified with brandy and oak-aged for three years. It carries a whopping 19.5% abv and sells for $16.

I smell greenness behind the dark fruit. I also smell a lot of that brandy, which is actually a 93% oak-stored grain alcohol. I have loved Norton on the occasions I’ve tried it, and find the grape somewhat masked by the other factors involved here. This a wine that should find favor with people who like to sip hard liquor. That is what comes through the strongest.

The Port-style was not much to my liking, but the Merlot based wines were outstanding. In fact, the Cabernet/Merlot is one of the best wines I’ve had in the past year or so. The Valenzano website shows a number of wines – made with both grapes and other types of fruit – which look quite interesting. Apple cider, cranberry and blueberry wine catch my eye, as do wines made from grapes like Chambourcin, Cynthiana, Vidal Blanc and a Cabernet Franc blush!

Valenzano is winery that definitely has some interesting ideas about wine and is worth a look.