Father's Day recently came and because the day was overcast and cool we decided against going on the Delaware in my Old Town Discovery 158 ...I call it the Cadillac of canoes... for a moveable picnic lunch. Janet did plan a lovely meal though of tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil from her garden, cold sesame noodles, tabouli, brie and crackers and brownies, but the weather was not cooperating and the river would have been a poor choice. So, we did the next best thing, we went to one of the local wineries that are near Lambertville and had a picnic there.
Lambertville is a little Delaware River town. It's about 7 miles north of where Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware on that faithful Christmas long ago. I've lived in this lovely place since 1989. For awhile I lived in a home that was built in 1860 and was right near the canal that was once used to haul coal from Pennsylvania to New York City. Idyllic, pastoral, quaint are words that readily apply to L'ville. Despite it's small size, the "city" brims with fantastic restaurants and cozy bars. Across the river from the relative decadence of New Hope, PA, Lambertville is quiet and serene. Nestled in the hills near to this town are several wineries. Years ago Team VFH attended a Garden State Wine Growers Association event in the Far Hills of Somerset County. We sampled wines from all an array of wineries, ate food, listened to music. It was a good day and over the years have visited several of the individual wineries. http://www.newjerseywines.com/
This blog isn't going to comment on the quality of the wines offered by the area wineries, but they are certainly a joy to visit. Whenever your favorite mooch crew is stuck for an idea we think "wine not?" Our favorite has been the Hopewell Valley winery because of the convival atmosphere they create. It's basically a party there, with a band, a wood fired pizza oven and an invitation to purchase their wine, but not necessarily a requirement.You can come with your own libations and snacks if you'd like. You can sit outdoors on a deck that overlooks the grapes or inside to listen to the music. On Fathers day our first choice was with Hopewell Valley, but when we called we learned they were closed.
http://hopewellvalleyvineyards.com/hvv/
The second choice was the Unionville winery. It is more rustic and lacks the amenities of Hopewell Valley, but it is in a beautiful location down a gravel road that winds through the Sourland Mountains. The area is worth a drive as it remains largely rural to this day with 90 square miles of forest in central New Jersey. A notable inhabitant of the region was Charles Lindbergh, the famed aviator. It was from his home in the Sourland Mountain that his son was kidnapped and murdered. He and his wife had chosen the area because of it's isolation.
Well, thankfully Unionville is not that far for me, perhaps 6 miles or so from the house. We had been there once previously and purchased Port wine. Today, laden with our picnic basket, we settled on a Pinot Noir, after sampling several. We asked them to open the bottle, borrowed a couple of glasses from them and sat at tables arranged for such occasions under a glade of trees. People came and went on little tours of the grounds, but we busied ourselves with our meal as the clouds churned over the rolling hills and then the sun finally broke through. It was a unique, relaxing and inexpensive way to spend the afternoon.
http://www.unionvillevineyards.com/sites/courses/layout.asp?id=825&page=45606
Lambertville is a little Delaware River town. It's about 7 miles north of where Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware on that faithful Christmas long ago. I've lived in this lovely place since 1989. For awhile I lived in a home that was built in 1860 and was right near the canal that was once used to haul coal from Pennsylvania to New York City. Idyllic, pastoral, quaint are words that readily apply to L'ville. Despite it's small size, the "city" brims with fantastic restaurants and cozy bars. Across the river from the relative decadence of New Hope, PA, Lambertville is quiet and serene. Nestled in the hills near to this town are several wineries. Years ago Team VFH attended a Garden State Wine Growers Association event in the Far Hills of Somerset County. We sampled wines from all an array of wineries, ate food, listened to music. It was a good day and over the years have visited several of the individual wineries. http://www.newjerseywines.com/
This blog isn't going to comment on the quality of the wines offered by the area wineries, but they are certainly a joy to visit. Whenever your favorite mooch crew is stuck for an idea we think "wine not?" Our favorite has been the Hopewell Valley winery because of the convival atmosphere they create. It's basically a party there, with a band, a wood fired pizza oven and an invitation to purchase their wine, but not necessarily a requirement.You can come with your own libations and snacks if you'd like. You can sit outdoors on a deck that overlooks the grapes or inside to listen to the music. On Fathers day our first choice was with Hopewell Valley, but when we called we learned they were closed.
http://hopewellvalleyvineyards.com/hvv/
The second choice was the Unionville winery. It is more rustic and lacks the amenities of Hopewell Valley, but it is in a beautiful location down a gravel road that winds through the Sourland Mountains. The area is worth a drive as it remains largely rural to this day with 90 square miles of forest in central New Jersey. A notable inhabitant of the region was Charles Lindbergh, the famed aviator. It was from his home in the Sourland Mountain that his son was kidnapped and murdered. He and his wife had chosen the area because of it's isolation.
Well, thankfully Unionville is not that far for me, perhaps 6 miles or so from the house. We had been there once previously and purchased Port wine. Today, laden with our picnic basket, we settled on a Pinot Noir, after sampling several. We asked them to open the bottle, borrowed a couple of glasses from them and sat at tables arranged for such occasions under a glade of trees. People came and went on little tours of the grounds, but we busied ourselves with our meal as the clouds churned over the rolling hills and then the sun finally broke through. It was a unique, relaxing and inexpensive way to spend the afternoon.
http://www.unionvillevineyards.com/sites/courses/layout.asp?id=825&page=45606
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