Local Wine Belongs at the Farm Market

June 12, 2014

Why Local Wine Belongs at the Farm Market

Robson’s Farm grows fruits and vegetables. Brick Farm Market bakes delicious breads. Tre Piani makes mozzarella.

Unionville Vineyards produces wine.

What could be simpler than bread, cheese, and wine? What could be more delicious? In the height of farm market season, when the tomatoes are ripe, red, and juicy, making dinner just gets so much easier. Even early in the season, with local greens and strawberries, salads are simple and delicious. And have you tried kohlrabi? Try it.

The local winery belongs at markets alongside the farm, bakery, and dairy. Wine is meant to be paired with food (ask Andrew at the Unionville stand for some recommendations – you’re sure to leave hungry). Our wine is meant to be consumed with friends and family over shared meals.

And our wine belongs at your local farm market.

  1. We are farmers. Unionville manages 54 acres of vineyard. We take great pride in using responsible agricultural management practices. We use models to minimize pesticide applications, and we employ preventative cultural practices. Currently, we are working with the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) on a trial of Italian varieties and also with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to monitor grapevine pests. NJAES also installed a weather station at our site. Data gathered from this station will be useful not only to Unionville, but to all in the industry.
    Furthermore, Unionville is a proud member of the NJ Farmers' Direct Marketing Association. We sell most of our wines directly to you, the consumer. Check out our profile on the visit NJ Farms website. 
  2. We are foodies. We love food. We love talking about food. We love cooking and often use our own wines! TIP: The red wines are great for marinating meats (or tempeh, a vegetarian alternative).
  3. We are interested in teaching people about where wine comes from and how it is made. Our Single Vineyard series in particular showcases local terroir. Grapes used in making any one of these wines are sourced from a single site, allowing for an exquisite expression of the local environment. Our winemaker works his magic in making truly creative and delicious blends.

Unionville wines are artisan and hand-crafted, truly reflective of local people and place. We love interacting with customers, as well as fellow farmers and foodies, at farm markets throughout the state. 

Wondering where you can find us this season? Check out our Farmers Markets page. 

 





Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Unionville Grapevine

Too Frigid For May: How Unionville Reacted to Destructive Frost
Too Frigid For May: How Unionville Reacted to Destructive Frost

October 03, 2023

We fought the frost in May, and we've fought for the vintage ever since.

View full article →

Meet Ahjiné Garmony, Unionville's New Wine Club Manager
Meet Ahjiné Garmony, Unionville's New Wine Club Manager

November 09, 2022

Desk or vineyard? This is the question I asked myself when making the leap of faith to leave my corporate life behind to pursue my passion for wine. After working in the medical communications space for 10 years, 2022 was the year of epiphany. It may sound old fashion, but I did have a major realization in the beginning of the new year that I was not meant to work behind a desk and chug along doing work that I was no longer passionate about.  

My first notion of my interest of wine came during my frequent business trips to Boston about 4 years ago. For the first time I was immersing myself in the world of wine through client dinners, networking events and a lot of self-exploring through Beantown. During this time was my first encounter with sommeliers and wine experts. I was fascinated and intrigued by the expertise knowledge of wine, wine making and learning about the intricacies that goes into producing a bottle of wine. At this moment, I thought about how amazing it was to witness such passion for the craft of wine.  

I enrolled in an online sommelier level one course at the Wine School of Philadelphia and began studying and reading everything I could about wine. This is where my 2nd major epiphany happened – I asked myself, the question that I stated in the beginning “desk or vineyard?” 

This is the question that started the major stepping stone to my journey. I no longer wanted my wine passion to be in the background – I wanted to be 100% committed and both feet in. Unionville Vineyards was the first winery that popped into my head when I thought about making my “9:00- 5:00” switch. I attended a wedding at Unionville the year prior and loved the atmosphere, the wine and the people. The position that I applied to was half farm work half hospitality. I was instantly attracted to the idea of being out in the field to where it all begins in wine making. Thoughts of my “office” transforming into the beautiful vineyard was something I desired. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Unionville has multiple vineyard sites with the Coventry site located within Coventry Farm in Princeton being my favorite (love the views there!) Working at the different sites allows you to see how the different micro climates, soil and land impact the vines and fruit cluster growth. Also working in the field to me was the perfect learning opportunity to understand the craft of wine making soup to nuts. Being surrounded by vines that produced grapes such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay was eye opening to me. I was so used to seeing the finished product of these grape varietals in their bottled form, but actually being able to perform farming techniques on the vines starts to create another level of perspective and appreciation for wine.  

One of my favorite farming tasks to perform in the field on the vines is leaf pulling. Leaf pulling is when you remove leaves from around the fruit clusters. The rule of thumb is to remove leaves that are across and below from the fruit cluster. Removing the leaves creates oxygen flow, openness for pesticides to be sprayed and exposes the fruit to more sunlight. I enjoy seeing the satisfying result of a perfectly balanced vine with the right number of leaves removed. Working in the field creates a huge bond between you and your other field peers. You become a family unit and learn how to work together and communicate as a team. To me, this is a very important factor for having a successful vineyard. My experience with people at Unionville in general has been amazing. You have the opportunity to interact with people from all different backgrounds (teachers, college, corporate, etc.) which makes for some great conversations and comradery.   

To anyone reading this, do not be afraid to follow your passion and take a chance on doing what you want to ensure your happiness. It was scary to make such a drastic shift from corporate to farm work, especially since the two are extremely opposite ends of the spectrum, but I have no regrets and I am happy with where my career and focus is going.  

View full article →

A Delicious New Partnership with Basil Bandwagon
A Delicious New Partnership with Basil Bandwagon

May 07, 2021

View full article →