First vines planted 1988 Acres cultivated 54 | Opened to the public 1993 | |
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Coordinates 40.422590 N, 74.829264 W Key people Kris Nielsen & Patricia Galloway (Founders)Lindy Eiref, Robert Wilson (Owners)Cameron Stark (Winemaker)John Cifelli (General Manager) | ||
Unionville Vineyard is a winery in the Unionville section of East Amwell Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Originally part of the largest peach orchard in the United States, the vineyard was first planted in 1988, and opened to the public in 1993. Unionville has 54 acres of grapes under cultivation, and produces 8,500 cases of wine per year. The winery is named for a former village near where the farm is located.
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Wines
Unionville Vineyards specializes in the use of Alsatian, Burgundy, and Rhône grapes. Wine is produced from Albariño, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cayuga White, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Counoise, Durif (Petite Sirah), Gewürztraminer, Horizon, Marsanne, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Riesling, Roussanne, Seyval blanc, Syrah, and Vidal blanc and Viognier grapes. It is the only winery in New Jersey that produces wine from Counoise, Horizon, Marsanne, and Roussanne – Horizon is a white hybrid grape developed in New York in 1945, whereas the other three varietals are vinifera grapes indigenous to the Rhone river valley of France.
Unionville is best known for its signature Chardonnay wine. At the 2010 International Wine and Spirit Competition, which included both blind tasting and laboratory analysis, Unionville's Chardonnay was the only wine from the United States to win a gold (best in class) medal. Likewise, their Chardonnay was the highest-scoring wine from New Jersey at the Judgment of Princeton, a wine tasting organized by the American Association of Wine Economists that compared in-state wines to premium French vintages. The winery is not located in one of New Jersey's three viticultural areas.
Licensing and associations
Unionville has a plenary winery license from the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, which allows it to produce an unrestricted amount of wine, operate up to 15 off-premises sales rooms, and ship up to 12 cases per year to consumers in-state or out-of-state. The winery is a member of the Garden State Wine Growers Association and its subsidiary, Vintage North Jersey.