This past weekend I visited a few wineries in southern New Jersey. There are several wineries within close driving distance, making it a perfect way to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Our first stop was Renault Winery. For $10 admission per person, we took a tour of the facilities, listened to a history of the winery and did a tasting complete with a take-home glass. Renault is one of the oldest operating wineries in the United States. The winery was founded by Master Vintner Louis Nicholas Renault. Following a bout of bad luck with grapes in France and California, Renault made his way to Egg Harbor and became one of the largest producers of “American Champagne.” I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the history of the winery and its owners, as well as sampling their best wines. I brought home a bottle of the Pink Lady Rosé, one of my favorite wines to enjoy in the summer. We next made our way to Tomasello Winery in Hammonton. The tasting room was packed, and a wedding reception was taking place on the property, so our visit was fairly short. I stuck to reds for the five tastings at Tomasello. All delicious, I decided to forgo purchasing a bottle to take home. Our final stop on our unofficial wine tasting tour was Plagido’s Winery. Since we arrived shortly before the tasting room closed, we did not have the opportunity to experience a full tasting. Instead, we each sampled a glass of their Cabernet Sauvignon, and I decided to take a bottle home. While not the most famous wine trail in the country, I truly enjoyed my experience touring South Jersey’s wineries and hope to try more soon. — Katie Skrzek, digital director