South Jersey wines won all but one category in the 2022 New Jersey Governor’s Cup Tasting Awards.
William Heritage Winery of Malika Hill won the top award for Best Wine in the competition, the 2019 Reserve BDX Red Blend, a Bordeaux-style wine that also won Best Red. Heritage also won in the rose category for the 2021 vintage.
Auburn Road Vineyard and Winery Pittsgrove also had two top wines in the white and fortified wine categories.
The only winner for a winery north of Burlington County was a sparkling rosé Beneduc Vineyards of Hunterdon County. Not all of the state’s more than 50 wineries submitted applications.
more:Red wine bottling at William Heritage Winery in Malika Hill
New Jersey wines have received critical acclaim at national and international competitions, including the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. They have also been praised by Wine Enthusiast and The Wine Advocate.
“This is an exciting time for South Jersey agriculture, which has grown great tomatoes and corn, and now, in recent decades, grapes that make very good wines. Credit goes to our vineyard and winemaking teams,” said Richard Heritage, the company’s director of marketing. a winery owned by his parents, William and Penny.
He said the winery has a good supply of both winning wines, which should last through the holidays, and are available for tasting at the Malika Hill location and the tasting room in downtown Haddonfield.
also:Why is wine more expensive? New Jersey wineries say cork and glass are factors
Hammonton-based Tomasello Winery won the sweet wine category for ice wine and has multiple tasting rooms, including downtown Mount Holly, Jobstown, Freehold and Cranford.
Garden State Winemakers Association marketing chairman Lou Caracciolo, who also owns Amalthea Cellars in Atco, said that as the state’s wine industry continues to grow, its winemakers have “shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are moving toward wine leadership world class.”
Here are the winning wines for the 2022 Garden State Winemakers Association New Jersey Governor’s Cup, as judged by the Beverage Tasting Institute:
- Best in Show and New Jersey Vinifera’s Best Red Wine: William Heritage Winery, Mullica Hill, 2019 Reserve BDX Red Blend
- New Jersey’s Best Vinifera White Wine: Auburn Road Winery, Pilesgrove, 2020 Barrel Reserve Chardonnay
- New Jersey’s Best Sweet Wine: Tomasello Winery, Hammonton, 2020 Epilogue Ice Wine Riesling
- New Jersey’s Best Hybrid White Wine: White Horse Winery, Hammonton, 2021 Estate Vidal Blanc
- New Jersey’s Best Sparkling Wine: Beneduce Vineyards, Pittstown, 2021 Estate Grown Rosé Pet Nat, Blaufrankisch
- The best rosé wine from New Jersey: William Heritage Winery, Malika Hill, 2021 Pink
- Best New Hybrid Red Wine: Sharrott Distillery, Hammonton, NV Tango Red Blend
- Best fortified wine: Auburn Road, Pilesgrove, 2019 Vintage Ruby Chambourcin
For more information on New Jersey wineries, visit https://www.newjerseywines.com.
Carol Comegno enjoys telling stories about South Jersey life, history and military veterans for the Courier Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. If you have a story to share, please call her at 856-486-2473 or email ccomegno@gannettnj.com.
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