This past March I was invited to participate in a virtual wine tasting on Twitter called #VirtualVines featuring wines from Old York Cellars. I participate in Twitter virtual wine tasting regularly; however, I have never had wine from New Jersey. As you know I absolutely love trying wine from regions, states, countries, etc that are new to me. Wine is produced in all 50 states; I have had wine from about 15 states so I welcomed the opportunity to try Old York Cellars wines. Mark your calendars for the next #VirtualVines virtual tasting on May 28 at 6pm CST. For more information visit the Virtual Vines web site and to catch up on the wines I am reviewing below here is March’s winemaker tasting notes video featuring Laura Dorman and winemaker Scott Gares. Furthermore, so that you can try Old York wines too, they offer 20% off their featured Virtual Vines wines each month of the chat.

The first of the two media samples we tasted on Virtual Vines was the Chardonnay.

Old York Cellars 2012 Oaked Chardonnay: This 100% Chardonnay was golden yellow in color and opened with aromas of tropical fruit and citrus with a touch of toasted cedar. On the palate it delivered flavors crisp pear and apple along with significant cedar and a touch of spice. It offered a creamy texture with ripe acidity and a lingering finish, leaving the mouth watering. This wine was crafted from estate grown and supplemented grapes. It underwent malolactic fermentation, had two hours of skin contact and six months in oak barrels. SRP $18; click here to buy this wine. This wine would pair well with your spring meals of poultry, seafood, and creamy pasta dishes as well as eggs and vegetarian cuisine.

Laura Dorman explained malolactic fermentation better and more concise than I have ever heard; stating MAL (a 2^nd fermentation of grapes) is like changing the malic acid of an apple into lactic acid of milk.

The second media sample we tasted on Virtual Vines was the Merlot.

Old York Cellars 2013 Merlot: This wine poured a rich garnet into the glass and opened with aromas of ripe red fruit with tobacco and toasted walnuts. On the palate this 100% Merlot delivered flavors of black cherry, plums and pomegranate; along with dried tobacco, toasted oak and dry dirt. It too had ripe acidity with bold tannins, full body and a lingering finish. Winemaker Scott Gares said his Merlot “played like a Cabernet” more than a Merlot. I would agree. This wine will benefit from some time to in the bottle to integrate and soften a bit. This wine is a good food wine and would pair well with grilled meats and barbeque.  SRP $18; click here to purchase this wine.

Old York Cellars has teamed up with Cabot Cheese this year for Virtual Vines so I paired both of these wines with delicious Cabot Cheese Sharp Cheddar.

From the Old York Cellars web site: Framing scenic views of the Sourland Mountain range, Old York Cellars boasts 25 beautiful acres of preserved farmland and 13 acres of rolling vineyards. Planted in 1979, these vines were the first to produce wine under the New Jersey Farm Act of 1981 (the legislation that continues to facilitate New Jersey’s growth into a booming wine region). Amidst these fields of established vines sit three new and newly renovated estate buildings that offer guests a broad range of winery experiences.

Old York Cellars offers a full calendar of fun events throughout the year. They offer a variety of wine tastings each day of the week as well as wine and art picnics throughout the week, yoga and wine classes that includes a one hour yoga class outside by the vines followed by chocolate and wine tasting (SIGN ME UP!), and summer Friday nights wine and music under the stars. Additionally, they host special festivals throughout the year such as Vine to Wine Spring Festival on Saturday, May 2. If you are in the area make sure to check out Old York Cellars or plan a trip to visit them. Old York Cellars is part of the Garden State Wine Trail so while there check out some of their neighboring wineries. Old York Cellars winery has so much to offer; they are certainly making wine fun! Visit the Old York Cellars web site to learn more about their winery, view their calendar of upcoming events, view their entire portfolio of wines and order wine.

My Song Selection: These wines are young and now; though they may benefit from time in the bottle, if you pair them with the right dish now they will give you something to talk about. So the song I have chosen to pair with Old York Cellars 2012 Oaked Chardonnay and 2013 Merlot is a fresh, young song by a fresh young artist: Meghan Trainor. Her sound is young and now but her voice indicates she will be around for a while. This young lady is a talented singer/songwriter. Fresh and young, unique, with a bit of funk = Meghan Trainor and Old York Cellars Chardonnay and Merlot.

Get your own bottles of Old York Cellars 2012 Oaked Chardonnay and 2013 Merlot and let me know what song you would pair with it. Cheers!