The pandemic has given folks a time out to evaluate their lives – are they living their best life? In the right job? Is this what they want to do with their lives until they retire? It’s an opportunity to explore and pivot to where you are meant to be. In 2008, David Wolin, a real estate lawyer, was living in New York City when he purchased a vineyard in New Jersey rather than a house in the Hamptons like you might expect. David didn’t own a shovel or know how to drive a tractor when he bought the vineyard and winery. Old York Cellars opened in 2010 and three years later, David left New York and his practice to be full time at the winery. If that isn’t a life pivot, I don’t know what is.
The award winning “2020 Best Winery in New Jersey” is located equidistant between Philadelphia & New York, in Ringoes, New Jersey, the property consists of 28 acres with views of the mountain range in the distance. For context, it’s about 15 minutes from New Hope, Pennsylvania and 20 minutes from Peddler’s Village (popular destinations) via 202N into New Jersey.
I was invited to visit Old York Cellars and to be honest, I was a bit of snob about it. New Jersey wine? Am sure you are thinking the same especially if you’ve traveled to well-known and celebrated wine regions around the world (i.e. Napa/Sonoma, Yarra Valley, Penedes Region, Maipo Valley) or visited your local wine store. My local wine store does not have a New Jersey section but definitely has too much space allotted to Yellow Tail.
Old York Cellars was about to crush more than grapes, they were ready to crush my wine bias. The minute I turned down the gravel road, I quickly forgot I was in New Jersey. It was that easy to escape the daily stresses of life and relax with a glass of wine and lovely views as I would anywhere in the world.
Wine can be complicated or it can be easy. Each bottle’s memory is heighted by the people, location and reason for drinking it. I’ve learned over the years to just enjoy the wine and have fun.
First Impression – Old York Cellars
When we arrived at noon (opening time), I was surprised by how many people were already on the property save the morning Wine & Chocolate mini-tour bus stop. Walking toward the tasting room, I was greeted by multiple staff at the hospitality booths, happy to answer all the questions I had while they checked me in. I was then met by the Director of Hospitality, Marc, who joined the team after years in the luxury hospitality sector in New York, and David, the owner. For a winery, it was pretty low key and chill, maybe it was the live music and singer setting the mood. The separate areas created for social distancing and privacy also reminded me that other people exist outside the house I’ve been inside of for the past year.
Winery Pandemic Pivot
Due to the pandemic, Old York Cellars had to pivot and pivot they did. They turned the tasting room into a staging area for staff. They created a plethora of outdoor seating areas – music/comedy tent, vineyard tent, lawn seating and the popular cabanas. These options seem to provide more opportunity to be social and stay awhile rather than taste and run to the next place.
For families, there is the Family in the Vines option (BYOB – bring your own blanket!). You and the family can sit in the vineyard among the vines and enjoy your food & beverage package. It’s a lovely way to upgrade and elevate the picnic in the park option.
A larger event space with a fireplace now hosts multiple tastings & pairings (wine & chocolate, wine & tapas and special pairing experience) each day.
Reservations are required to visit and are limited to 2 hour visits (subject to change post pandemic restrictions) with many seating options available at different price points. Whether you decide that Old York Cellars is a destination or part of your tasting tour of other New Jersey wineries (there are over 50!) make sure you plan accordingly. Old York Cellars has a plethora of award winning red, white and sweet wines to taste and enjoy.
Old York Cellars Food & Wine Menu
The food has a fun story. I love Spanish tapas but was frankly surprised to see it as it’s not a standard food choice at a winery. David explained that he met Jose, a Spanish chef, during his travels and one day the chef turned up on the property asking for him. David wasn’t at the winery full time yet, he was in New York when staff called about a man at the door speaking Spanish asking for him.
The right people seem to gravitate to the winery as it was finding its way forward. Chef Jose has created a unique way to explore many tastes of Spain. The food menu has something for everyone with Tapas, Sandwiches and Soup/Salad selections averaging $12, Food Tasting Boards averaging $20-25 and Paella (gluten free) $14-16. Old York Cellars has mushroomed to now host that wayward chef in a restaurant/tasting room at the Quaker Bridge Mall. The food is a great reason to pull up a chair and stay awhile to enjoy the wine.
While the food is a highlight, let’s not forget the star of the show, the wines. Glasses of select wines are $10 while bottles are priced from $15-25 with a few reserves at $28-29. Wine Tasting Trays feature Favorites, Sweet, New Releases and Premium wines with various prices.
Wine & Tapas Tasting
We had a 12:45 pm reservation for a wine and tapas tasting. The tasting was led by John, a former IT director who lives in the area and discovered the winery for his next chapter in life. He explained each wine in easy to understand terms and why it was paired with the food on offer. There were three group tables (4-6 people) and our table of two. He walked to each table to see if we had questions or needed more information between tastings. This was an educational rather than an intimidating tasting. The team has fun throughout the year pairing wine with Girl Scout cookies and recommending the best Halloween candy and wine combos. This type of approach makes it so easy to learn about wine and enjoy the experience.
Each person was given a wooden tray with the six wines that would be featured along with another wooden tray with the tapas. The presentation was lovely and part of their pandemic pivot to serve guests safely (i.e. plastic cups).
The wines in our tasting that day (subject to change) were served as 1 ounce portions:
- 2020 Rose Reserve (a new release with a rose petal aroma and hints of strawberry, grapefruit and honey)
- Reserve Sauvignon Blanc (a new release – lemongrass citrus hints)
- Vintner’s Red III (fall 2018 ghost wine (no longer available) as it was a special blend for Vintner’s Club members. The wine spent 34 months in the bottle and they found a few cases never opened. It was a Malbec & Petit Syrah blend)
- 2019 Malbec
- 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (regional character and one of the boldest in the winery’s portfolio)
- 2018 Syrah (spending 17-18 months in a bottle this has a distinct aroma that evolves over time)
So about that food…..
Our tapas tasting included (food subject to change)
- Andalusian Gazpacho
- Tortilla Espanola (egg + potato)
- Serrano Ham w/Sheep’s Milk Manchego Cheese
- Mini Chorizo (mild sausage)
- Spanish Meatball
- Bacon Wrapped Date
The hardest part was the waiting for all tables to be served in order to begin our wine journey. John kept a good pacing and provided insightful background. My friend and I swapped a few foods – cheese and date for the ham and chorizo.
When the tasting was over, John came over to talk to us. I didn’t ask him what his favorite wine was because that’s like asking me “what’s your favorite place to visit”. I did ask him what one wine he recommended as the taste of Old York Cellars and he said “the Riesling” and proceeded to bring us a taste. While I’m not a fan of whites, this surprised me – it was easy to drink. I could understand why this was a standout pick. It’s not dry nor sweet but has hints of red delicious apple and stone fruit, perfect for a hot and humid summerlike day.
The Sweet Wines at Old York Cellars
Old York Cellars produces many fruit wines with distribution at local wine stores, Wegman’s Market and online. If you like a sweet wine, then this lineup is for you. New Jersey is famous for their blueberries and peaches and the winery incorporates these into their sweet wine tasting available to folks at the winery. The sweet wine lineup includes Blueberry Wine, What Exit Blush, Raspberry Blush, Sweet Apple, Peach Reserve and Sweet Peach.
Walking among the Vines at Old York Cellars
After our wine and tapas tasting, we walked down into the vines. It was the break we needed to enjoy nature and the sun. We met two women who are Vintner’s Wine Club members and they talked about their favorite wines, special events and festivals and many other benefits. It’s impressive that there are more than 1,700 people in the club (fee based monthly/yearly fees). They can come to the winery or the mall tasting room to enjoy their benefits. They also are privy to special edition wines such as the one we tasted during our tapas tasting. They explained how things had changed in the past year and for the most part were pretty happy. These ladies were great marketing for the winery. They recommended the homemade honey, the wine infused marinara sauce and chocolate truffles.
Virtual Wine Tastings & Charity Fundraisers
One of the new features is the virtual wine tastings. The winery has now received multiple licenses in over 20 states to ship their wine. Want to connect with friends, family and/or team members for a virtual happy hour where no one has to be the designated driver? You might have zoom fatigue from work events but this is one tasty zoom to put on your calendar.
The virtual wine tastings are also a great fundraising promotion – everyone wins – the winery, your guests and the charity.
Final Thoughts at Old York Cellars
I was initially skeptical as I think many folks would be – New Jersey wine? But I was pleasantly surprised how satisfying each of the wines I tasted were. It’s a bit like giving a friend a vegan cupcake/cookie and not telling them it was vegan until after they raved about how much they loved it. We learn by experience. We all are filled with our food, drink and state bias. This summer as the region reopens and you look to reconnect with friends and family, consider an Old York Cellars visit (or virtual tasting) to quash your NJ wine bias as it did mine.
