This third installment of my four-part series on wines from Southern New Jersey involves Willow Creek Winery. The three bottles I picked up are clearly not cellar dwellers; indeed, none has a vintage date! They were all pleasing enough in their own way.

Wilde Cock (red blend)
Translucent maroon color, blackberries and black cherries dominate the nose and palate. Off-dry blend of Cab Sav and Tempranillo.

Wilde Cock Prestige (rose)
Pale peach color, aromas of lemon & cherry with flavors of cumquat, cherry, and honeydew. Just a touch sweet.

Malvasia Bianca Outer Coastal Plain
Golden color, nose of pears & tart apples, lemon-mead-grapefruit palate, finished dry.

Part four will appear some time in '24.
In the meantime, have a great holiday season, one and all.

Dan-O (did I really buy these wines in August??)

On Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 9:05:51 PM UTC-5, Dan the Man wrote:
> This third installment of my four-part series on wines from Southern New Jersey involves Willow Creek Winery. The three bottles I picked up are clearly not cellar dwellers; indeed, none has a vintage date! They were all pleasing enough in their own way.
>
> Wilde Cock (red blend)
> Translucent maroon color, blackberries and black cherries dominate the nose and palate. Off-dry blend of Cab Sav and Tempranillo.
>
> Wilde Cock Prestige (rose)
> Pale peach color, aromas of lemon & cherry with flavors of cumquat, cherry, and honeydew. Just a touch sweet.
>
> Malvasia Bianca Outer Coastal Plain
> Golden color, nose of pears & tart apples, lemon-mead-grapefruit palate, finished dry.
>
> Part four will appear some time in '24.
> In the meantime, have a great holiday season, one and all.
>
> Dan-O (did I really buy these wines in August??)
Thanks Dan, this is not on Cape May but elsewhere in Southern NJ I assume?
Happy Holidays!

On 12/12/23 9:05 PM, Dan the Man wrote:
> This third installment of my four-part series on wines from Southern New Jersey involves Willow Creek Winery. The three bottles I picked up are clearly not cellar dwellers; indeed, none has a vintage date! They were all pleasing enough in their own way.
>
> Wilde Cock (red blend)
> Translucent maroon color, blackberries and black cherries dominate the nose and palate. Off-dry blend of Cab Sav and Tempranillo.
>
> Wilde Cock Prestige (rose)
> Pale peach color, aromas of lemon & cherry with flavors of cumquat, cherry, and honeydew. Just a touch sweet.
>
> Malvasia Bianca Outer Coastal Plain
> Golden color, nose of pears & tart apples, lemon-mead-grapefruit palate, finished dry.
>

Interesting that the Malvasia Bianca is the one dry-finished wine as
it's the only one of those grapes that I think might benefit from
off-dry vinification. It's not surprising, though, that most of those
wines have residual sugar: so many tasting room workers will tell you
tales of people who say "I want a dry wine" only to soon follow that up
with "Oh, that's too tart/sour!"; when they're served an off-dry wine
they respond "Now that's a good dry wine!" Sugar sells, especially in a
society acculturated to godawful-sweet sodas.

Mark Lipton

On Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 10:52:39 AM UTC-5, dalewilli...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 9:05:51 PM UTC-5, Dan the Man wrote:
> > This third installment of my four-part series on wines from Southern New Jersey involves Willow Creek Winery. The three bottles I picked up are clearly not cellar dwellers; indeed, none has a vintage date! They were all pleasing enough in their own way.
> >
> > Wilde Cock (red blend)
> > Translucent maroon color, blackberries and black cherries dominate the nose and palate. Off-dry blend of Cab Sav and Tempranillo.
> >
> > Wilde Cock Prestige (rose)
> > Pale peach color, aromas of lemon & cherry with flavors of cumquat, cherry, and honeydew. Just a touch sweet.
> >
> > Malvasia Bianca Outer Coastal Plain
> > Golden color, nose of pears & tart apples, lemon-mead-grapefruit palate, finished dry.
> >
> > Part four will appear some time in '24.
> > In the meantime, have a great holiday season, one and all.
> >
> > Dan-O (did I really buy these wines in August??)
> Thanks Dan, this is not on Cape May but elsewhere in Southern NJ I assume?
> Happy Holidays!
Hi Dale,
This producer is also in Cape May.
The last installment will be about Turdo Vineyards, a winery in a nearby township that is owned/operated by a native Italian couple.
I think I'm saving the best for last!

Dan-O

On Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 11:10:43 AM UTC-5, Mark Lipton wrote:
> On 12/12/23 9:05 PM, Dan the Man wrote:
> > This third installment of my four-part series on wines from Southern New Jersey involves Willow Creek Winery. The three bottles I picked up are clearly not cellar dwellers; indeed, none has a vintage date! They were all pleasing enough in their own way.
> >
> > Wilde Cock (red blend)
> > Translucent maroon color, blackberries and black cherries dominate the nose and palate. Off-dry blend of Cab Sav and Tempranillo.
> >
> > Wilde Cock Prestige (rose)
> > Pale peach color, aromas of lemon & cherry with flavors of cumquat, cherry, and honeydew. Just a touch sweet.
> >
> > Malvasia Bianca Outer Coastal Plain
> > Golden color, nose of pears & tart apples, lemon-mead-grapefruit palate, finished dry.
> >
> Interesting that the Malvasia Bianca is the one dry-finished wine as
> it's the only one of those grapes that I think might benefit from
> off-dry vinification. It's not surprising, though, that most of those
> wines have residual sugar: so many tasting room workers will tell you
> tales of people who say "I want a dry wine" only to soon follow that up
> with "Oh, that's too tart/sour!"; when they're served an off-dry wine
> they respond "Now that's a good dry wine!" Sugar sells, especially in a
> society acculturated to godawful-sweet sodas.
>
> Mark Lipton
Indeed, while the Malvasia had no date on the bottle, their website mentions 2020, so maybe this was intended to be a more "serious" wine.
It was certainly the most complex of the three.
And yes, sugar is certainly sought after by rookie drinkers; one producer here in eastern PA said their Concord and Niagara sweeties are their best sellers.
It reminds me that the first bottle I ever bought as a much younger man was a White Zin that I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot corkscrew, now!
I guess many of us grow out of that.

Dan-O