Festivals

Grand Harvest Festival, Oct. 3 and 4, at the Alba Vineyard in Village of Finesville, Milford in picturesque Hunterdon County featuring hundreds of award-winning New Jersey wines, an array of culinary delights, hot air balloon and horse drawn carriage rides, artisan vendors, children’s activities and live entertainment.

Bands performing Saturday and Sunday are VooDUDES, with their unique mix of jazz, rock, and zydeco and Cairo, often described as "a great party band, mixing elements of reggae, soul, jazz and rock into upbeat tunes,” and a favorite of music enthusiasts who like The Neville Brothers, Santana, Bob Marley and Little Feat.

More than 20 wineries offering more than 200 different wines produced in New Jersey will be at Grand Harvest. Host winery, Alba Vineyards was named winery of the year for 2009 in the Garden State Wine Growers Association annual competition. Alba’s 2007 dry Riesling also won the San Francisco Chronicle 2009 wine competition award for double gold, best of class.

Persons interested in learning more about the festival can call The Garden State Wine Growers Association at 609-588-0085 or click here to purchase tickets online. Tickets for the festival are $20 a person at the gate. Advance tickets for all the wine festivals can be purchased only at the association web site for $18 a person. A discount price of $16 per person is available for bus groups and group sales of 15 or more. Large groups and bus groups can call the Association “Wine Line” for more information.

New Jersey has been producing wine since 1864. While perhaps not as well-known as other wine-producing states, New Jersey is home to many premiere varieties. Award-winning Chardonnay, Syrah, Marechal Foch, Viognier, Traminette, Merlot, Cabernet and dozens of others are produced right here. And, particularly unique to New Jersey wineries are an array of fruit wines such as raspberry, cherry and blueberry, which are exported by some New Jersey wineries all over the world. Because of the climate and conditions of the state, New Jersey wines are most often compared by viticulturists and enologists to the wines of France and Italy.

From Cape May County up to the northern most tip of Sussex County, New Jersey wineries offer more than 200 varieties of wine.

The Garden State Wine Growers welcome consumers from New Jersey as well as tourists to attend the "Grand Harvest Wine Festival". It's a great way to sample and purchase the range of excellent New Jersey wine, enjoy great music and spend the weekend outdoors.

-No pets are allowed
-Ticket sales end at 4:00 pm each day


View Alba Vineyard in a larger map

Directions to Alba Vineyard
From the New York metropolitan area, and points west: Take I78 West to exit 7 (Bloomsbury.) Bear right off the ramp, onto 173 West. In 1.3 miles, road will fork- bear left, following the sign pointing towards Riegelsville, onto 639 West. Follow Rt. 639 2.8 miles to stop sign. Bear left at stop, onto 519 South. Continue straight: road will turn into 627 South, Alba Vineyard is 2 miles from that point, on the right.

From points in North Jersey: Take Rt. 287 South to I78 West, then follow directions from New York City.

From the Poconos: Take 33 South, to 22 East (near Bethlehem.) Follow 22 East into Phillipsburg, heading towards I78. Just past the Phillipsburg Mall (on the right) you will come to a light; turn right, onto 519 South. Turn Left at the blinking light, and then right at the next light. Continue straight for five miles. The road will turn into 627 South: continue straight. Alba Vineyard is two miles up, on the right.

From Philadelphia: Take the Blue Route to exit 27 (Willow Grove.) Take 611 North into Riegelsville. Turn right at the light (following sign pointing to Business District,) cross small one lane bridge over canal, then over the Baby Brooklyn into New Jersey. Bear right off of bridge, then over train tracks, and continue straight onto 627 North. Alba Vineyard is two miles up on the left.

From Trenton area: Take Rt. 29 North. Be sure to follow signs closely in Lambertville! Stay on Rt. 29 until Frenchtown (which is 30 min. north of Lambertville) where Rt. 29 ends. At the stop sign in downtown Frenchtown, turn left, then make your first right onto Harrison St. Follow that road into Milford, go straight at the light (only one in town) onto 519 North. Continue north until you reach a stop sign (about ten minutes) and bear left at stop, onto 627 South. We are two miles from stop sign, on the right.