The newest member of the Garden State Wine Growers
Association is White Horse Winery,
which officially opened its tasting room and winery to the public on July 15 in
Hammonton. Located at 106 Hall Street in
Hammonton just down the road from Sharrott Winery, White Horse Winery boasts
one of the state’s largest tasting rooms, which is highlighted by a vaulted
ceiling and a 22 foot long bar.
White Horse Winery is owned by Brock J. Vinton and his son
B.J. A successful real estate developer,
Brock has been involved with fine wines since the 1960’s. In the 1980’s Vinton became an investor in
wineries in Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder and Paso Robles. His wife Yvonne is a
native Californian, whose family farms extensive vineyard holdings in the Lodi
area. He is committed to selecting the optimal grape varietals for the local
terroir, along with giving the utmost attention to their cultivation,
fermentation, blending and aging in French, Hungarian, and American oak
barrels.
BJ Vinton began working in the vineyards and cellars in
Cognac, France when he was 16. He later
studied in Bordeaux and worked in Beaujolais.
He also completed an undergraduate thesis on the future of the
micro-brewing segment of the brewing industry.
He went on to work in manufacturing R&D, eventually started an
engineering company and among other projects developed and patented a wind
turbine and is looking forward to having a successful vineyard in New Jersey.
The winery boasts over 60 acres with about a third of the
area currently planted with plenty of vinifera stock, including Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and a number of hybrids including Chambourcin,
Vidal blanc and Traminette. There are plans as well for future expansion, which
will provide plenty of great grape varietals for winemaker Seferino Cotzojay to
work with. Cotzojay, a Guatemalan
native, comes to White Horse Winery from the award-winning Bedell Cellars on
Long Island where he worked as the assistant wine maker.
Cotzojay is looking forward to putting his touch to the
grapes of the Outer Coastal Plain region. The winemaker’s style is to provide wines
that are naturally crisp and have a nice finish.
“It’s been a fun
transition from Long Island to New Jersey,” notes Cotzojay. “I believe New
Jersey has the potential for creating world class wines. White Horse Winery wines will provide
customers with a unique experience.”
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