What are your 4th of July plans? Are you going to stay home and enjoy the day off? Hit the beach? Have friends and family over for a cookout, or head to someone else’s home where the grill will be going all afternoon? Or, go somewhere that you can sit outside, take in gorgeous views, and enjoy good food and drink?
Pairing New Jersey Wine with the Holiday
Whatever your plans for the patriotic holiday, New Jersey wine fits right in with them. If you’re staying home or enjoying burgers and hot dogs cooked on your friend’s grill, head to a local winery to stock up on bottles to pair with your relaxation and your meal.
Of course, any of our state’s fine wineries will have something that suits your taste, but if you’re looking for something that captures the spirit of the day, here are a few of our recommendations:
Villari Vineyards One Nation Wines: For those who like the sweeter side of wine, Villari’s Red, White, and Blue One Nation fruit wines are perfectly themed for the day. The bottles’ label colors correspond with the name of the wine, and their designs evoke a patriotic feel. Plus, each bottle is less than $15!
- One Nation Red: A blend of red grapes balanced with crisp apples.
- One Nation White: A blend of white grapes, peaches, and crisp apples.
- One Nation Blue: A blend of crisp apples and blueberries.
Valenzano Winery’s Red, White, and Blueberry Sangria: This sweet, tart wine is a blend of red and white cranberry wines with blueberries. It also gets bonus patriotic points because a portion of the proceeds from each bottle goes toward supporting military charities. (The winery has donated more than $80,000 directly to U.S. troops to date.)
Cream Ridge Winery’s Summer Sangria: Ideal if you’re hitting the beach for the holiday weekend, but also perfect for a backyard BBQ, this blush-based sangria with citrus has a beachy label.
Four Sisters Winery Niagara: Niagara is a grape native to America, and if you’ve never tried it, the 4th of July seems like the perfect day to pop open a bottle of this fruity, grape-y, sweet white wine.
Anyone’s Sparkling Wine: New Jersey has a long history of producing quality sparkling wine, and bubbles are incredibly diverse when it comes to food friendliness. Pop open a bottle to go with your burger or BBQ chicken, to watch the sun set while you wait for the fireworks to start, or to toast the friends and family that you’re gathered with.
Celebrating the 4th of July at a New Jersey Winery
Most of our wineries are open on the 4th, and they’ll have their usual wine, food, and live music happening. Some of our wineries are planning special 4th of July events. Here’s a smattering of what’s going on.
Unionville Vineyards Great American Vineyard Cookout: Enjoy live patriotic music, gourmet burgers and dogs by Ottoburger, a live reading of the Declaration of Independence, and sparklers for children from noon to 6 pm on July 4. The event is free to attend.
Little Ridge Vineyards Sunset & Fire Event: Celebrate the 4th with live music by Jeff Bellfy from the best view for distant fireworks. Bring your own lawn chairs for extra seating. Admission is $10/person after 4 pm with access to the view.
4JGs Winery Reds, Whites, and Blueberries: From noon to 5 pm on Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6, celebrate Independence Day with 4JGs with live music and some fun with blueberries. Small picnics (no coolers) are permitted in the picnic area. 21+ only. Admission fee: $20.
However, you celebrate the 4th with New Jersey wine, if you post a photo of it on Instagram, make sure you use the hashtag #cheersNJwine and tag @newjerseywine. Make sure to check our events page for the holiday weekend because some wineries may add events to it between now and the 4th.
