Oct 26, 2006 9:17 am US/Eastern
Our Hometown: Wine Country
by Susan Barnett
SHAMONG, N.J. (CBS 3) ―
Fall is a great time to see one of our hometown's treasures, our own version of wine country! I visited one of our local wineries, and you can too.
Why travel to California to visit wine country, when South Jersey wineries are crushing some of the sweetest grapes around?
What started as a hobby ten years ago for Tony Valenzano Sr. and his two sons has become sweet success at their Shamong vineyard, now operating full time. Their wine list has grown to nearly two dozen varieties.
"We went from producing five hundred gallons of wine 10 years ago, and I think we may be around 25,000 gallons this year," said Tony Valenzano Jr.
The Valenzanos are most proud of their Cynthiana red wine, which won the New Jersey Governor's Cup two years in a row for best New Jersey wine.
"We're very well known for our premium selection of dry red wines, but we have some very fruity wines for people who don't drink wine," said Valenzano.
And if you don't consider yourself a connoisseur, this winery welcomes novice tasters, gladly giving lessons on not just how to taste, but first, how to smell a quality selection. "Typically you want to swirl the glass, then just stick it in your nose and take a deep whiff," said Valenzano.
But if you're just looking for a holiday hit this Thanksgiving, Valenzano recommends their most popular fruit wine in cranberry.
"You bring a bottle of this to Thanksgiving dinner or over to a friend's house for a party, everybody enjoys. It's just a great party wine or family dinner wine," said Valenzano. And for $8.99 a bottle, you won't mind if your guests drink it fast. You might want to sip other, more expensive varieties a little more slowly.
But it's not just about the taste. It's also the experience of just visiting the vineyard and maybe learning a thing or two.
"If somebody's interested, we'll walk them through the vineyard, show people the different varieties of grapes," said Valenzano. "People travel a distance. We get customers from North Jersey, New York, Delaware."
Valenzano Winery is a destination, and it's right here in our hometown.
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