"Sideways" in South Jersey

Shockingly, when my sister (aka RRR) planned an itinerary for our jaunt on the Jersey Shore, the oenophile included a visit to a few wineries in southern New Jersey. We were thinking the climate would leave us tasting a lot of white wines but were pleasantly surprised to find many red wines produced by the Garden State wineries.

Our first stop and coincidentally the highlight of our mini-wine tour was a trip to Silver Decoy, New Jersey's 2007 Winery of the Year. Our delightful host took us through a (free) tasting of all the wines Silver Decoy had to offer.

The first white, a 2007 Traminette was quite lovely. A light fresh bouquet and a subtle hint of apricots and honey. We all were in agreement that this was a purchase and bought a few bottles to get us through the week. After working our way through a Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Chamourcin, Marechal Foch, Merlot, Cabarnet Franc, and Sunrise Blush, we made our way to the fruit wines: a blueberry and a raspberry.

I was expecting a "fruit bomb" but again was surprised by the drinkability of the wine. You could certainly pair it with grilled meats or vegetables - no need to wait for dessert! The blueberry was outstanding and the raspberry was refreshingly tart. We were all quite impressed with the Sunrise as well. A tasty blush that wasn't too sweet and perfect drinking wine for a warm summer evening.

After making a bunch of purchases (Mr. RRR quite enjoyed the blueberry wine and decided to stock up) and chatting with our gracious host in the tasting room, we hit the road and headed to Cream Ridge winery, perhaps the best known vineyard in the area.

Cream Ridge's wines were not as complex or sophisticated as the ones at Silver Decoy but I did purchase an interesting Sangria. The Sangria is a blush wine with a hint of citrus on the back. Since I've been doing lots of grillin' in the burbs, I figured this would be a nice accompaniment to whatever I toss on there.

As lovely as the vineyards were in the summer, I'm sure they are even more delightful in the fall. Looking for a day trip and not willing to bear with Long Island traffic? Hit the Turnpike and head to the Jerz instead! You won't be disappointed!