(CARTERET, NJ) -- The first-ever indoor UNCORK Spring! wine and food experience will take place on Saturday, March 23, 2024 from 3:00pm to 8:00pm at URSB Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center, 46 Washington Ave. Eleven prize-winning Garden State wineries will sample 125 wines, some of which will be paired with food.
An annual outdoor event held in New Jersey, UNCORK Spring! makes its exclusive return indoors at the request of Carteret Mayor Daniel J. Reiman. No other indoor New Jersey wine event is bringing together multiple New Jersey wineries or offering patrons a “wine and food experience,” organizers said. For only $35 in advance, patrons will be able to sample and purchase approximately 125 wines while enjoying selected food pairings as part of their admission.
Due to the different growing conditions in the state, New Jersey offers a unique and diverse group of wines for every palate in its different wine regions, according to the Department of Agriculture. New Jersey wineries annually produce almost 2 million gallons of wine with a retail value of almost $30 million, the Department of Agriculture said. There are more than 50 licensed wineries in New Jersey.
Eleven of them will be participating in UNCORK Spring!, and nearly half of them are among the Top 14 New Jersey wineries, according to the nationally revered Tasting Table magazine. Many of the 125 wines that will be sampled at UNCORK Spring! are being recognized nationally and internationally for their quality and flavor, winning awards and prestigious wine competitions, organizers said.
UNCORK Spring! was organized by Carteret PAC Director Diana St. John and produced by Kathy Bullock, vice president of Ocean County-based GPS Inc., an events producer for more than 20 years, including more than 150 wine-related festivals.
“Supporting the New Jersey wine industry is extremely important to our state’s vibrant agri-tourism industry, Bullock said. “New Jersey wineries play a major role in agri-tourism. Events like UNCORK Spring! are a significant part of continuing to support our state’s Jersey Fresh initiatives and support the very popular trend of ‘Buy Local.’ The fact that the event is at a beautiful indoor venue means it will be quite different from nearly all wine events throughout the state as they are almost exclusively held outdoors as festivals.”
Participating wineries are:
Tomasello Winery, Valenzano Winery, Bellview Winery, Salem Oak Vineyards and Autumn Lake Winery were among those voted the 14 Best NJ Wineries by Table Tasting magazine.
Wine samples will be paired with tastings of the following dishes:
Whether a wine connoisseur or new wine drinker, patrons will be able to learn more about the amazing New Jersey wine industry at UNCORK Spring!, Bullock said.
Patrons will be given the chance to meet many of winemakers and learn firsthand about their wines and wineries, she said.
“The wineries desire to have patrons come visit their tasting rooms and become consumers of New Jersey wines,” Bullock said. “Taking place at the beautiful CPAC means that this event is bringing the New Jersey wine industry to an area of the state that has not seen many New Jersey wine-related events. There is no better way to unveil a new wine event to this part of the state than at a state-of-the-art facility like CPAC.
“Past UNCORK Spring! wine festivals have been outdoor events,” she continued. “All of them taking place pre-COVID. They were very successful but, obviously, a different type of event. When the opportunity was presented to host a spring event at an indoor location, it seemed a natural transition to bring back UNCORK Spring! in a new exciting way.”
New Jersey wineries throughout the state were invited to participate in the event, Bullock said.
Wines being poured have been selected by the wineries, she said.
“Most will bring an offering of wines and styles that represent their unique product lines,” Bullock said. “There will certainly be traditional styles, but you can count on many of them unveiling new product and seasonal offerings. Often times, wineries will bring new releases to events as a means to create awareness and market their new product. In an indoor setting like this, I am certain many wineries will bring some of their high-end fine wines, which are often limited at outdoor events. Basically, indoor events lend themselves better to presenting fine wines. Highly likely, though, we will even see sangria, seltzers and hard ciders offered for sample and sale too.”
UNCORK Spring! also will include a variety of artisan vendors whose products go well with wine.
Advance tickets are $35 and available for purchase online or at the CPAC box office at 877-849-2722 or 46 Washington Ave. 9:30am to 4:00pm. weekdays. Tickets are $40 at the door.
For updates about this and other Carteret PAC events, follow @carteretpac on Facebook and Instagram. For more about GPS Inc., visit newjerseywineevents.com/.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOROUGH OF CARTERET
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