Upcoming 2008 Festivals

• Wine & Blues Festival
  May 24 & 25 (Noon to 5:00 p.m.)
  Rain Date: May 26
  Natirar Park, Peapack-Gladstone
  
  
• Walk in the Vineyard Wine Trail Weekend
  July 12 & 13 (Noon to 5:00 p.m.)
  At participating wineries across the state
  
  
• Jersey Fresh Wine & Food Festival
  August 9 & 10 (Noon to 5:00 p.m.)
  Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington
  
  
• Jazz It Up
  August 30 & 31 (Noon to 5:00 p.m.)
  Rain Date: September 1
  Allaire State Park, Farmingdale
  
  
• Grand Harvest Festival
  October 4 & 5 (Noon to 5:00 p.m.)
  Alba Vineyard, Milford
  
  
• Cape May Wine Festival
  October 11 & 12 (Noon to 5:00 p.m.)
  Rain Date: October 13
  Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal
  
  

GARDEN STATE WINE GROWERS ASSOCIATION TO HOST FIVE WINE FESTIVALS IN 2008

APRIL 9--The Garden State Wine Growers Association, a nonprofit organization of 31 New Jersey wineries that support and promote the wine industry in the Garden State, will host five wine festivals this year throughout the state starting in May with its popular Blues & Wine Weekend that blends good wine and great music and ending with the Cape May Wine Festival during the highly popular Victorian Week festivities in Cape May in October.

In between, wine aficionados will also have a chance to sample the state's vintages at three other events including two in August, The Jersey Fresh Wine & Food Festival, which brings together winning New Jersey wines and an array of gourmet, fresh food produced in the state, Jazz It Up, a chance to savor good wines and fabulous jazz in a great place, Allaire State Park in Southern Monmouth County and in October, the Grand Harvest Festival at an idyllic setting in Hunterdon County.

More than 20 wineries will be participating at each event and more than 200 New Jersey wines will be poured for sampling. Here's more on each of these exciting wine festivals:

The Blues & Wine Weekend on May 24 and 25 and the Cape May Wine Festival Oct. 11 and 12, will feature hundreds of award winning wines, live entertainment, artisan vendors, gourmet food and kids activities. This year the Blues & Wine Weekend is being held at Natirar Park -a 411-acre preserve set in the scenic hills of Somerset County and located within the municipalities of Peapack/Gladstone, Far Hills and Bedminster. A special treat will be the appearances of two top Blues performers, the SaRon Crenshaw Band, which travels the country playing Jazz and Rhythm and Blues, and The Fins, a popular Blues band that has performed and shared the stage with such legends as BB King, Ray Charles, Wilson, Bonnie Raitt and James Brown.

Both will be playing in a verdant setting that showcases many aspects of the area's rich architectural, cultural, historic and archaeological heritage. A two-mile picturesque loop trail awaits park visitors and passes along the scenic North Branch river corridor, through wooded areas and across open fields.

The Jersey Fresh Wine & Wine Festival, Aug. 9 and 10, featuring hundreds of award-winning New Jersey wines and an array of gourmet, fresh food produced in the state. The festival will be held at Hopewell Valley Vineyards in Pennington, a picturesque winery nestled in the northwest corner of Mercer County. The Association's major partner for the event is SLOW Foods of NJ, an organization of restaurants in the state that encourages slow eating and fine food over fast food.

Jazz It Up, Aug. 30 and 31, offering visitors the opportunity to taste as many as 200 varieties of top-quality wine, listen to great, live jazz entertainment and explore the grounds of Allaire State Park, home to an early 19th Century industrial iron producing community.

Grand Harvest Festival, Oct. 4 and 5, at the Alba Vineyard in Milford in picturesque Hunterdon County featuring hundreds of award-winning New Jersey wines, an array of culinary delights, artisan vendors, children's activities and live entertainment.

The Cape May Wine Festival Oct. 11 and 12, when festival goers can take advantage of the warm autumnal weather to sample the award-winning wines from New Jersey, listen to live music, stroll through crafters and visit The Kids Zone which has activities especially for the younger attendees. The event is held at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal, overlooking the Cape May Canal and Delaware Bay. Continuous shuttle service will be provided to and from Victorian Cape May, where wine lovers can also enjoy the many tours and activities of Victorian Week, rated as one of America's “Top 100 Events.”

The Wine Growers Association will also be sponsoring its annual Wine Trails Weekends including Walk in the Vineyard Wine Trail Weekend: July 12 & 13 and the Holiday Wine Trail Weekend: November 21, 22 & 23. Held at participating wineries throughout the state from the Skylands in Northern Sussex County to the tip of Cape May, each Wine Trail Weekend is the perfect opportunity to plan special day trips to New Jersey's wineries. Wine enthusiasts who take the trails will also have the opportunity to pick up the popular New Jersey Wine Country Passport at participating wineries. Visitors who have their passport stamped at all participating wineries can mail it back to the Garden State Wine Growers Association and receive a free gift—a beautiful, insulated wine bag holder that cradles two bottles of wine.