Swansea Vineyards

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Coordinates: 39°27′18″N 75°17′34″W / 39.455110°N 75.292750°W / 39.455110; -75.292750
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Swansea Vineyards
Location860 Main Street (Route 49), Shiloh, NJ, USA
Coordinates39.455110 N, 75.292750 W
AppellationOuter Coastal Plain AVA
First vines planted1994
Opened to the public2007
Key peopleFrank Baitinger (owner)
Jennifer Spiker (manager)[1][2]
Acres cultivated12
Cases/yr2,000 (2011)
Other attractionsPicnicking permitted
DistributionNJ liquor stores
TastingNo tasting room
Websitehttp://www.swanseavineyards.com/

Swansea Vineyards is a winery in Shiloh in Cumberland County, New Jersey.[2][3] Formerly a produce farm, the vineyard was first planted in 1994, and opened to the public in 2007.[4][5] Swansea has 12 acres of grapes under cultivation, and producing 2,000 cases of wine per year.[6] The winery is named for the original settlers of Shiloh who were Seventh Day Baptists from Swansea, Wales.[6][7]

Wines[edit]

Swansea Vineyards is located in the Outer Coastal Plain AVA, and produces wine from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cayuga White, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Lakemont, Merlot, Reliance, Traminette, and Vidal blanc grapes. Swansea also makes fruit wines from apples, blackberries, blueberries, kiwifruit, nectarines, peaches, and strawberries.[6][8] It is the only winery in New Jersey that produces wine from Lakemont and Reliance, which are seedless table grapes developed in New York and Arkansas, respectively.[9]

Licensing, associations, and distribution[edit]

Swansea has a farm winery license from the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, which allows it to produce up to 50,000 gallons of wine, operate up to 15 off-premises sales rooms, and ship up to 12 cases per year to consumers in-state or out-of-state.[10][11] The winery is not a member of the Garden State Wine Growers Association or the Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard Association.[12][13] Swansea does not have a tasting room, but distributes their wines through liquor stores in New Jersey.[14]

Controversy[edit]

Swansea formerly had conflicts with municipal authorities. Shiloh is a dry town with a strong religious heritage, and there was opposition from the Shiloh borough council to the sale of wine in the town.[15][16] The Seventh Day Baptist Church of Shiloh wrote a letter to the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) objecting to Swansea's application for a winery license.[17] A compromise was reached between the winery and the borough council wherein the town dropped its opposition to the winery, and Swansea agreed to only permit wine tastings, and not the sale of wine by the glass.[17][18]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ USDA Risk Management Agency. "A Very Easy Decision" (press release) (28 January 2011). Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b Taniguchi, Lauren T. "Bill supporting NJ wineries like Shiloh's Swansea Vineyards to face Assembly" in The South Jersey Times (2 January 2011). Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  3. ^ Westrich, Sal. New Jersey Wine: A Remarkable History. (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2012). ISBN 9781609491833.
  4. ^ Fusco, Mary Ann Castronovo. "In Season: The dawn of the Jersey grape" in The Star-Ledger (25 August 1999). Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  5. ^ Adomaitis, Greg. "Legislation wants door deliveries for your wine" in The South Jersey Times (14 October 2010). Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  6. ^ a b c Jackson, Bart. Garden State Wineries Guide. (South San Francisco, CA: Wine Appreciation Guild, 2011). ISBN 9781934259573.
  7. ^ Baehr, Judy. "In A New and Free Land, Settlers Flexed Their Religious Freedom" in The Daily Journal (reprinted article) (1 July 1998). Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  8. ^ Swansea Vineyards. Swansea Vineyards Wines (commercial website). Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  9. ^ Reisch, B.I., et al. "Table Grape Varieties for Cool Climates" on Cornell Cooperative Extension (academic website) (1 February 2001). Retrieved 19 July 2013. A review of the wines made by New Jersey's 46 wineries found no other establishment using Lakemont or Reliance grapes.
  10. ^ New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. "New Jersey ABC list of wineries, breweries, and distilleries" (5 February 2013). Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  11. ^ New Jersey General Assembly. "N.J.S.A. 33:1-10". Statutes of New Jersey. New Jersey.
  12. ^ Garden State Wine Growers Association. "GSWGA Wineries." Archived 2013-06-21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  13. ^ Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard Association. "Outer Coastal Plain Wineries." Archived 2013-03-15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  14. ^ Phone conversation with Jennifer Spiker, manager of Swansea Vineyards. (17 October 2013).
  15. ^ Taniguchi, Lauren T. "Seventh Day Baptist Church of Shiloh to celebrate 275th anniversary of covenant signing" in The South Jersey Times (21 March 2012). Retrieved 25 April 2013
  16. ^ "Shiloh bucking wine idea" in The Bridgeton News (1 January 2003). Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  17. ^ a b Walsh, Daniel. "Shiloh farmer corks borough's opposition to winery" in The Press of Atlantic City (archived website) (3 August 2006). Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  18. ^ Johnson-Bohannan, Sandra. "Winery solution reached" in The Bridgeton News (4 August 2006). Retrieved 25 April 2013.

39°27′18″N 75°17′34″W / 39.455110°N 75.292750°W / 39.455110; -75.292750

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