NJ Wines to Drink this Long Weekend
New Jersey wineries are producing an extraordinary range of wines, from familiar grapes like Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc to native and hybrid varieties, fruit wines, sparkling wines, dessert wines and blends that don’t fit neatly into any one category.
Some are made entirely from New Jersey-grown fruit. Others combine New Jersey winemaking with fruit sourced beyond the state. Some come from wineries that have been here for generations. Others represent much newer chapters in New Jersey wine.
We think that diversity is something worth celebrating.
So, we selected nine wines from eight New Jersey wineries that we think are so worth discovering.
This isn’t a competition or a ranking. We’re certainly not claiming these are the nine “best” wines in New Jersey.
They’re nine very different bottles, eight wineries worth knowing and nine good reasons to explore what’s being made right here in the Garden State. These are just a few of the many New Jersey wines we hope you will discover and enjoy.
THE SUMMER WHITE
Old York Cellars | Chardonnay 2025 | Ringoes, NJ
Old York Cellars’ 2025 Chardonnay earned Gold at the 2026 Garden State Wine Challenge. Aged in stainless steel, it’s a fresh take on one of the world’s most familiar wine grapes.
The Gold gives it some outside recognition. What matters more is what happens when you put it in your glass.
Drink it with: Grilled seafood, chicken, summer vegetables or whatever is coming off the grill.
Make the trip: Pair it with Chef José’s food and vineyard views here at Old York Cellars in the rolling hills of Hunterdon County.
Let them know Access Wine Country inspired your visit.
BRING THIS ONE TO THE IN-LAWS
Saddlehill | Renegade 2023 | Voorhees, NJ
Showing up for dinner with a bottle called Renegade already gives you something to talk about.
Even better, Renegade 2023 earned Best of Class at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in the Red Native/Hybrid Blend category.
Saddlehill is also one of New Jersey’s newer wine destinations, combining a winery, farm and restaurant experience in Voorhees.
Drink it when: You’d like the bottle you brought to make a good first impression.
Make the trip: Come for the wine and give yourself time for the rest of the Saddlehill experience.
If you stop by because you read about it here, let them know Access Wine Country pointed you their way.
FOR THE SERIOUS RED DRINKER
Amalthea Cellars | Cabernet Franc 2021 Limited Edition | Atco, NJ
Amalthea has been making serious dry wines in South Jersey for decades, and its cellar rewards people willing to explore.
Its limited-production 2021 Cabernet Franc is part of an unusually deep lineup of reds from a winery with a long history of outside recognition.
This is the selection for the person who actually wants to talk about what’s in the glass.
Drink it with: Steak, lamb, mushrooms or a serious cheese board.
Make the trip: Don’t rush Amalthea. Taste around the cellar and discover what South Jersey reds can do.
Mention that Access Wine Country sent you over to explore their reds.
DATE NIGHT
Villa Milagro Vineyards | Suave 2020 | Finesville, NJ
Some wines belong at the dinner table.
Villa Milagro’s Suave is a dry Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, made with food in mind. The winery recommends it with savory dishes, strong cheeses and grilled meats.
We’ll add one more pairing: someone you actually enjoy spending the evening with.
Drink it with: Dinner for two.
Make the trip: Villa Milagro’s Warren County setting near the Delaware River gives you an excuse to turn date night into date day.
Let them know Access Wine Country inspired your visit.
FRUIT IS WINE, TOO
Rebel Sheep Wine Co. | Bohemian Raspberry | Chester, NJ
New Jersey grows more than grapes. Rebel Sheep isn’t afraid to make wine from some of it.
Located at Stony Hill Farms in Chester, Rebel Sheep makes Bohemian Raspberry as part of a lineup that gives this farm winery its decidedly different personality.
No Cabernet pretensions required.
Fruit wine is part of the New Jersey wine story, too.
Drink it with: Chocolate, cheesecake or someone who tells you they “aren’t really a wine person.”
Make the trip: If farm-to-glass appeals to you, it’s hard to get much more literal than drinking fruit wine at the farm.
Say Access Wine Country encouraged you to discover their wines.
SWEET SPOT
Tomasello Winery | Epilogue Riesling Ice Wine | Hammonton, NJ
Sweet isn’t the opposite of serious.
Tomasello’s Epilogue Riesling Ice Wine earned Gold at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
And it wasn’t Tomasello’s only success there. Its Sparkling Blueberry Wine earned Double Gold, while its Artisan Orchard Hard Apple Cider took Best of Class.
For this list, though, we’re going with the Riesling Ice Wine because it makes a point worth making: there is absolutely no reason to apologize for liking sweet wine.
Drink it with: Dessert, blue cheese or skip dessert and let the wine handle the job.
Make the trip: Tomasello has been part of Hammonton wine country for generations. Explore beyond the familiar and see just how wide its range has become.
Feel free to share that Access Wine Country put them on your radar.
FIRE UP THE GRILL
Sharrott Winery | Cabernet Franc | Hammonton, NJ
Sweet isn’t the opposite of serious.
Tomasello’s Epilogue Riesling Ice Wine earned Gold at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
And it wasn’t Tomasello’s only success there. Its Sparkling Blueberry Wine earned Double Gold, while its Artisan Orchard Hard Apple Cider took Best of Class.
For this list, though, we’re going with the Riesling Ice Wine because it makes a point worth making: there is absolutely no reason to apologize for liking sweet wine.
Drink it with: Dessert, blue cheese or skip dessert and let the wine handle the job.
Make the trip: Tomasello has been part of Hammonton wine country for generations. Explore beyond the familiar and see just how wide its range has become.
Feel free to share that Access Wine Country put them on your radar.
THINK PINK
Old York Cellars | Rosé Reserve 2025 | Ringoes, NJ
We’re making room for a second Old York Cellars wine because Chardonnay and Rosé offer two very different reasons to explore New Jersey wine.
Our 2025 Rosé Reserve earned Silver at the 2026 Garden State Wine Challenge.
It’s also the kind of wine that doesn’t need an occasion invented for it.
Drink it with: Brunch, charcuterie, lighter dishes, takeout or nothing more complicated than a patio chair.
Come visit: Try it alongside some of our other wines at the vineyard and decide for yourself what belongs in your glass.
Mention that Access Wine Country sent you over.
FROM THE JERSEY SHORE
Cape May Winery | Estate Red Field Blend 2023 | Cape May, NJ
New Jersey wine country goes all the way to the shore.
Cape May Winery’s Estate Red Field Blend comes from its Townbank Vineyard and brings together Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grown on the Cape May Peninsula.
The wine is 74% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc and spends two years in French oak.
Cape May Winery has been part of the Cape May wine scene since 1989. Its location between the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean gives this corner of New Jersey its own growing conditions and its own place in the state’s wine story.
Drink it with: Grilled lamb, braised short ribs, aged cheeses or hearty roasted vegetables.
Make the trip: The next time you’re heading to Cape May, make the winery part of the trip. It’s a chance to experience another very different corner of New Jersey wine country.
Say Access Wine Country suggested you add them to your Cape May plans.
Nine Wines. Eight New Jersey Wineries. From Hunterdon County to Cape May. Give them a smile and say Access Wine Country sent you.
These nine wines barely scratch the surface of what’s being made across New Jersey.
That’s really the point.
We want you to sample New Jersey wines. Try grapes you know and wines you’ve never heard of. Try dry wines, sweet wines, sparkling wines and fruit wines. Visit wineries you already love and discover a few you haven’t been to yet.
Then come back for more.
Visit New Jersey wineries. Bring friends. Order New Jersey wine when you see it on a restaurant wine list. And when you don’t see it, ask for it.
Ask your local wine retailer to carry more New Jersey wines. Ask your favorite restaurant to put New Jersey wines on its wine list.
Every additional bottle on a retail shelf or restaurant wine list gives someone else an opportunity to discover what New Jersey wineries are making.
And we’ll keep doing our part.
Periodically, we’ll bring you more New Jersey wines and wineries we think are worth discovering. No rankings. No declaration of what you’re supposed to like. Just more wines to try and more places to visit.
These nine are just a place to start.
Try Jersey wine. Visit Jersey wineries. Ask for Jersey wine.
If you stop any New Jersey winery, please give them a hello from Access Wine Country — and thank you for exploring and supporting New Jersey wineries.