Although visiting local wineries was on my Fall Want To List, it is one of those things that is always on my Things To Do list.
Three years ago, we went to Heritage as part of a friend’s birthday wine tour. It was our favorite of the four wineries we visited that day. Unlike the other wineries, at Heritage we took an hour tour of the winery, tasted three different wines along the way*, and left with a souvenir glass. The price has increased since then, but the current price of $20 is still pretty fair for a tour, generous tasting, and glass.
*One straight from the barrel!
For the last three years, I have talked and talked and talked about revisiting*. Unlike most small wineries, Heritage isn’t simply a winery you visit with the intention of having a quick tasting. They not only offer tasting tours and tastings in the tasting room, but they also have an outdoor seating area where, weather permitting, visitors enjoy wine flights and live music.
*I think it was the list that made me finally do it.
A regular tasting costs $5-$10 and you end up drinking around 5 ounces of wine. If you’re looking for a quick tasting and an expert to walk you through what you’re tasting, this is for you.
However, if you want to enjoy all that Heritage has to offer, their wine flights (priced $12-$22) are the way to go. This is what I had in mind when I added visiting wineries to my Fall Want To list. Not just going to a winery, trying their wine, and leaving; but going to wineries and absorbing their atmosphere.
Each flight equals a total of two glasses of wine, which was perfect for us. Knowing the environment of Heritage (live music, outdoor seating, cider donuts…wait, I didn’t mention their cider donuts??) we planned to sit in their ‘cigar lounge’, while sipping our wine and reading.
Pretty sweet plan, if you ask me.
Of the three wines we tasted during our first tour, Lance’s favorite was (and continues to be) their Chambourcin, an earthy and fruity red wine aged in American oak.
After our combined flights of ten wines, we left with a bottle of Chambourcin, Sauvignon Blanc*, and Coeur d’Est**.
*A fruitier white with flavors reminiscent of creamy key lime pie, fermented in stainless steel.
**Taste of blackberry, coffee beans and black pepper aged in French and American oak.
If you’re looking to make an event of going to a winery, Heritage is the place to go. From their live entertainment to the wide selection of tasting and food options, it is bound to be a good time.
Heritage Vineyards
480 Mullica Hill Road
Mullica Hill, NJ 08062
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