Ah, fall. At The Zesty Digest, we have been fawning over a few of our autumnal favorites: pumpkin spice lattes, football tailgates, chunky knits, apple picking. I’ve made this list even longer with the addition of wine festivals.
Over the weekend, I dressed in my “fall uniform” complete with riding boots, tall knit socks, and a chambray button-down to attend the Morristown WineFestival in my hometown in New Jersey.
Really, what’s better than Sunday football than Sunday football and wine?
New Jersey is actually the fifth largest wine producing state in the country (source), with more than 40 varieties, including Pinot Noir and Riesling in the North and more Italian varieties in the South. The wine is much sweeter than what you would find in California, owing to the concord grapes and sweet fruits that are used as bases.
Of course, I would never consider myself a wine snob; if anything, I would consider myself a “label snob”—I choose my wine based on the bottle’s uniqueness (and it has to be under twelve dollars). How about that for sophistication?
Proper wine-tasting technique includes the following: assess the wine’s color; swirl and sniff; sip or spit; reflect on the taste.
My wine-tasting technique includes more of the following: wait for the pourer to dispense the proper serving; groan about how the serving isn’t big enough; sniff fruity goodness; gulp wine; reflect on how much I love wine festivals. Repeat.
Wine snob, label snob, or somewhere in between, attending a wine festival is a perfect way to spend time with friends, switch it up from a typical dinner-date, or get out in between games on a Sunday. Samplings are small—so you can enjoy the taste of regional grapes without the Monday morning hangover.
NJ isn’t the only state that boasts a wine-tasting event. Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts top the list for more well-known events, including one sponsored by the Food Network in New York City (there’s also the Whoopie Pie Festival in Strasburg, PA, just a few miles from my college town!).
Interested in seeing what your area has to offer? Check out LocalWineEvents.com for events in different regions and get your nose wine-sniffing ready.
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