Valenzano Winery is a winery in Shamong in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States.Corcoran, David. "So Crisp, So Complex, So Unexpected" in The New York Times (17 July 2005). Retrieved 18 April 2013.Westrich, Sal. New Jersey Wine: A Remarkable History. (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2012). . A family grain and livestock farm since 1974, the vineyard was first planted in 1991, and opened to the public in 1996.Rignani, Jennifer Papale. Images of America: New Jersey Wineries. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2008). .Harbach, Louise. "Family farm saved by wine: Frustrated by low prices for their crops, the Valenzanos turned to growing grapes" in The Philadelphia Inquirer (14 March 2004). Retrieved 4 October 2013. Valenzano is one of the largest wine producers in New Jersey, having 88 acres of grapes under cultivation, and producing 80,000 cases of wine per year.Jackson, Bart. Garden State Wineries Guide. (South San Francisco, CA: Wine Appreciation Guild, 2011). .Toms, Charlie. "Valenzano Winery Review" in American Winery Guide (28 December 2013). Retrieved 17 January 2014. The winery is named after the family that owns it.Schmidt, R. Marilyn. Wines and Wineries of New Jersey. (Chatsworth, NJ: Pine Barrens Press, 1999). .
Wines Valenzano Winery is located in the Outer Coastal Plain AVA, and produces wine from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Concord, Fredonia, Ives noir, Merlot, Niagara, Cynthiana, Vidal blanc, and Zinfandel grapes. Valenzano also makes fruit wines from apples, blueberries, cranberries, peaches, plums, raspberries, and mead from locally-produced honey.
Events, licensing, and associations Since 2002, the vineyard has hosted "WineFest," a wine festival that over 9,000 people typically attend."Valenzano Winery's annual WineFest next weekend in Shamong" in The Central Record (9 September 2011). Retrieved 19 December 2013.Carchidi, Sam. "Grape Expectations" in JerseyMan Magazine (17 September 2012). Retrieved 8 April 2013. Valenzano 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.New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. "New Jersey ABC list of wineries, breweries, and distilleries" (5 February 2013). Retrieved 24 August 2013. The winery is a member of the Garden State Wine Growers Association and the Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard Association.Garden State Wine Growers Association. "GSWGA Wineries." Retrieved 31 March 2013.Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard Association. "Outer Coastal Plain Wineries." Retrieved 29 June 2013.
Features and controversy The entire winery facility is powered using solar energy, and heated using geothermal energy.Smith, Eileen. "NJ winery is going solar, bottling sunshine" in The Courier-Post (22 April 2011). Retrieved 8 April 2013.McHale, Todd. "Winery to power production with solar panels" in The Burlington County Times (7 April 2011). Retrieved 29 December 2013. Valenzano is located in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, and has had conflicts with state authorities regarding the construction of a banquet hall and the installation of solar panels on agricultural land. Before the winery was permitted to build its banquet facility, the New Jersey Pinelands Commission required that it conduct environmental and archaeological studies which took three years and $250,000 to complete.McPherson, Gary. "Valenzano Winery sees red over Pinelands permits" in The Central Record (4 May 2011). Retrieved 26 April 2013. In 2011, Valenzano questioned whether the Pinelands Commission had the authority to regulate solar panels. Valenzano Winery has won awards for their wines including 2 double-gold medals from the Finger Lakes Wine Competition and the Indie International Wine Competition.
See also Alcohol laws of New Jersey American wine Judgment of Princeton List of wineries, breweries, and distilleries in New Jersey New Jersey Farm Winery Act New Jersey Wine Industry Advisory Council New Jersey wine
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