A first visit to New Jersey wineries is easier than it sounds. The Garden State Wine Growers Association lists more than 40 wineries open year-round, and many tasting rooms welcome walk-ins, serve flights or guided tastings, and give first-time visitors a chance to ask questions as they taste. This guide covers what happens at a tasting, which wineries suit a first visit in each part of the state, and what to check before you go.

What Happens at a Tasting

A tasting is a flight of small pours, usually three to six wines, with a few words from the host about where the grapes grew and how each wine tastes. At Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes, a host takes guests through six wines in 45 to 60 minutes. Cape May Winery sells a three-wine flight to drop-in guests, and the wine bar at Laurita Winery serves six samples. Nobody expects wine expertise, and a few basics make the first tasting easier to follow:

  • Pours are small: a flight lets you taste several wines in one visit instead of drinking a full glass of each.
  • Dry means not sweet: a dry wine has little sugar, so it tastes crisp or savory, while a sweet wine tastes closer to fruit juice.
  • You do not have to finish a pour: tasting rooms set out a bucket for the rest, and pouring it out is normal.
  • Buying is optional: a bottle is easy to take home if you find a favorite, but a tasting does not require one.

If a host leads the tasting, say what you usually enjoy and ask how the wines in front of you compare.

Cape May: Several Wineries Within a Short Drive

Cape May County has wineries close together, so a beginner can compare two or three tasting rooms in one afternoon.

Cape May Winery is a straightforward first stop, with a tapas kitchen next to the tasting room serving cheese boards, flatbreads, and lobster sliders. A six-wine educational tasting needs a booking.

Willow Creek gives the same afternoon a larger setting. Across more than 50 acres in West Cape May, Willow Creek Winery runs a tasting room that pours wine and sangria by the flight, glass, or bottle, with charcuterie and a full menu for pairings.

A little farther north in Rio Grande, Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery has made estate-grown wine since it opened in 2007, and its shop stocks wine in cans and cider.

Egg Harbor City: A Winery with History

Heading north from Cape May County, Atlantic County holds a winery with a long history. Renault Winery & Resort says its property is America’s oldest continuously operating winery. Beyond guided tastings and tours, the resort adds dinner at Taste 1864, coffee, crêpes, and lunch at Café La Fleur, an 18-hole golf course, and a 63-room hotel.

Central Jersey: Two Very Different Winery Afternoons

Farther inland, Central Jersey has two wineries with very different atmospheres.

Visitors at Laurita Winery in New Egypt order food at the Marketplace counter, choose a seat indoors or out, and catch live music and food trucks through the season. Laurita does not allow outside food or pets, apart from service animals.

Working Dog Winery in Mercer County is a 21-and-over winery where reservations are never needed, so it suits a slower afternoon. Working Dog planted its vineyard in 2001 and opened the winery in 2003, and its wines took part in the Judgment of Princeton, a tasting that compared New Jersey wines with premium French bottles. Its list ranges from Cabernet Franc to a blueberry fruit wine, an example of the fruit wines that some New Jersey wineries make alongside grape wines.

Hunterdon and Warren Counties: Rural Vineyard Stops

In Hunterdon and Warren counties, wineries sit on farmland, so the road to the tasting room is part of the day.

Picnic grounds open in season at Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes, and the tasting room sells light snacks. Outside food is allowed only on the picnic grounds, where leashed dogs are also welcome.

The Sharko family, now in its second generation, works the vines at Alba Vineyard in Milford. Its estate wines come from the Warren Hills AVA, and the food includes wood-fired pizza from outside partners. Guests must be 21 or older.

What to Check Before You Go

  • Hours: Tasting rooms change their days and hours, and some close early for private events, so check the winery’s calendar or call first.
  • Reservations: Walk-ins are welcome at many wineries, but Unionville asks groups of six or more to call ahead, and Willow Creek strongly encourages bookings.
  • Cost: Many wineries charge a tasting fee, so check the current price on the winery’s website.
  • Food: Eat something before you arrive. Some wineries sell full meals, others only snacks, and outside-food policies differ, so check before packing a picnic.
  • Perfume and water: Skip strong perfume, which interferes with smelling the wine, and drink water between tastings.
  • Dogs and children: Policies differ from winery to winery, so ask before bringing either.
  • Getting between stops: Two or three tasting rooms add up, and some visitors join a guided winery visit so nobody has to drive between stops.

Starting Your Own List of Favorite Wineries

A first trip works well in either of two places: Cape May County, where several tasting rooms sit close together, or Hunterdon and Warren counties, where Unionville and Alba make an easy pair. Notice which wines you ask for again, whether a crisp white, a dry red, or a fruit wine, because those preferences tell you what to look for at the next winery. Over a few visits, your list of favorites grows from your own taste instead of a ranking. The state has wineries in every region, so there is always another tasting room to try.

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