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Get Lost with a Bottle of Wine in This Week's Great Escape

An afternoon of fun and wine awaits at Cream Ridge Winery

In  my life B.C. (that’s Before Children), my husband and I had lots of extra time on weekends to do things like tour wineries in the area.  When I say things like that, people tend to look at me like I’ve sprouted a winery on top of my head, but it’s true.  New Jersey has quite a few vineyards and wineries, and they make some excellent wines.  We aren’t called The Garden State just because of our tomatoes, folks.

One of the few wineries in New Jersey that I hadn’t made it to was Cream Ridge Winery, in Allentown, NJ.  This week, I decided to remedy that, hopped into the car and headed south.

Cream Ridge boasts a NJ Governors Cup wine, their Cherry Wine (Ciliegia Amabile), and was named the 2005 NJ Winery of the Year.  They have a small variety of white wines, and a somewhat wider selection of reds. I’m generally a pretty big fan of dry whites, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio in particular. My husband, though, loves a good deep Cabernet or Merlot, so this may be his favorite winery ever.  But the real draw of Cream Ridge is their inventory of fruit wines.

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Who knew that you could make wine out of pineapples? Well, someone at Cream Ridge  knew, apparently. Besides pineapple, they also had ChocolateBerry, AlmondBerry and the aforementioned cherry available for tasting and purchasing while I was there. (Yes, of course, in the interest of fair reporting, I tasted them all.)  I’m told they’ll have mango wine available in the near future as well. 

If you’re not a big wine drinker, you may still love the fruit wines. They are excellent “gateway” wines. The pineapple, in particular, is very true to the taste of the fruit, and is smooth with just a touch of the alcoholic “bite” you find in fermented drinks.

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Do I sound like a pretentious wine person?  I’m not. Yes, one of my favorite ways to spend a spring afternoon is by touring a vineyard and tasting the wares, but I have no idea what pairs with what, or any of that other pretentious wine person stuff. I know what tastes good to me. 

But this brings up a good point.  If you’ve thought about hitting up a winery in your travels, but are a little nervous, since you’re not one of those pretentious wine people, have no fear. First of all, the folks at Cream Ridge are also not pretentious wine people. They know their stuff, but they don’t expect you to know it, and they are incredibly helpful at helping you decide what to taste.  Whether you’re looking for the right bottle to serve at a special dinner, or just wanting something to sip while you’re relaxing after a long day, they will help you figure it out.

When you’re done choosing the wine for your special meal, you might want to choose another one to go with some of the gourmet treats you’ll find in Cream Ridge’s tasting room. They’ve got chocolates, dips and dippable munchies, as well as pasta sauces and other meal makers. And yes, they’ve got a wine to go with everything.  Had it not been raining buckets on my visit, I’d have snagged some wine crackers and a bottle of AlmondBerry and had a bit of a snack in the outdoor seating area.Also available are gifts for the wine lovers in your life. In fact, my birthday happens to be in October, so if anyone wants to take a little trip down there to get me the T-shirt that says “Group Therapy” with a picture of three wine glasses, that’d rock.

So now you’re chomping at the bit to get to Cream Ridge Winery, yes? Well, this weekend is a great time to visit, since they’re celebrating their 23rd Anniversary with an Italian themed open house. They’ll be holding wine tastings and tours, along with samplings of specialty Italian items from their shop. Admission is free, and they’ll be waiting for you on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm!

Cream Ridge Winery is located at 145 Route 539 in Cream Ridge, NJ. (If you’re using your GPS to help you find it, you’ll want to type in 145 Route 539 Allentown, NJ 08501.) They offer wine tasting daily, and tours on the weekends. Their hours are 11am-6pm Monday-Saturday and 11am-5pm on Sunday.  For more information, as well as a complete listing of their wines and upcoming special events, visit www.creamridgewinery.com.

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