Hopewell Valley Vineyards

Wines and other products

Hopewell Valley Vineyards produces wine from Barbera, Brachetto, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Merlot, Muscat blanc, Pinot gris, Sangiovese, and Vidal blanc grapes. Hopewell Valley also sells brick oven pizzas, and makes olive oil from olives grown in Tuscany. It is the only winery in New Jersey that produces wine from Brachetto, which is a red vinifera grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy that is often used to make sparkling wines. Hopewell Valley is not located within one of New Jersey's three viticultural areas.

Licensing and associations

Hopewell Valley 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.

Controversy and advocacy

Hopewell Valley has had conflicts with municipal authorities regarding the sale of food, and the hosting of events at the winery. The Hopewell Township council expressed concerns that the winery created excessive noise and traffic, and was functioning as an unlicensed restaurant. In 2011, the Mercer County Agriculture Development Board and the New Jersey Agriculture Development Committee decided that the winery could sell snack foods (e.g., cheese, pizza) and hold wine festivals, but could not serve meals or host weddings or other catered events without the town's permission. Although Hopewell Valley Vineyards is not on preserved farmland, it has advocated changing state law to allow more events to be held by preserved farms.

References

References

1. Osenlund, R. Kurt. (2010-01-11). "'Happy' times abound at Hopewell Valley Vineyards". The Pennington Post.
2. Zernike, Kate. (2013-05-02). "From Garden State to Vineyard State". [[The New York Times]].
3. Westrich, Sal. (August 2024). "New Jersey Wine: A Remarkable History.". The History Press.
4. Sullivan, Kathy. (2007-09-07). "Hopewell Valley Vineyards". Wine Trail Traveler (blog).
5. Jackson, Bart. (2011). "Garden State Wineries Guide.". Wine Appreciation Guild.
6. Hopewell Valley Vineyards (commercial website). "Buy Hopewell Valley Vineyards Wine".
7. Tanner, Pat. (2010-01-20). "Pizza, Pinot Grigio, and Piano". [[U.S. 1 (newspaper).
8. Genovese, Peter. (August 2024). "Food Lovers' Guide to New Jersey". Globe Pequot.
9. Kohoutek, Frank. (April 2012). "Brachetto". Duluth Superior Magazine.
10. New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. "[[:File:New Jersey ABC WBD List.pdf. New Jersey ABC list of wineries, breweries, and distilleries]]" (2013-02-05). Retrieved 2013-08-20.{{dead link. (September 2015)
11. "New Jersey Statutes — Title 33 Intoxicating Liquors — 33:1–10 Class A licenses; subdivisions; fees.".
12. "GSWGA Wineries". Garden State Wine Growers Association.
13. Greene, Abby. (2010-08-17). "Hopewell residents complain about vineyard use". [[The Times (Trenton).
14. New Jersey Agriculture Development Committee. (February 2011). "In the Matter of Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Hopewell Township, Mercer County: Hearing Officer's Findings".
15. Coryell, Lisa. (2011-05-12). "Mercer farm board rules against Hopewell vineyard's quest to host weddings, special events". The Times of Trenton.
16. Scully, Tamara. (2012-03-15). "Assembly bill criticized by NJFB, other ag industries". American Farm Publications.