24 Dates in 2024

24 Dates in 2024 – Date #10

Who knew New Jersey was a hidden gem for wine enthusiasts?

Jersey is known for a few things, the Turnpike, WAWA, and beaches to name a few but wine isn’t what pops into folks’ heads when thinking about The Garden State.

It might come as a surprise, but there is reason we are called the Garden State! New Jersey is home to over 50 wineries, and we had the pleasure of making one of them date #10 of our 24 dates in 2024.

With so many choices, how did we land at our dating location? In a single word, “Groupon.” Don’t judge! This one was a hit!

Ken found a deal too good to pass up for a wine tasting at Kennedy Cellars in Hammonton, New Jersey, the little town, also known as the Blueberry Capital of the world.

Look, you’re learning all sorts of things about Jersey. Now, back to the wine!

Kennedy Cellars is tucked away in the side streets of Hammonton, with “where are we going? ” vibes. While driving, you don’t get the sense that you’re going to a farm, but more like Uncle Bert’s house—you know, the uncle with some land for the kids. But a farm we did land on.

We drove onto the grounds upon seeing the signage which indicated Kennedy Cellars is a retail winery and A School of Wine. This will be fun for Ken, who self-describes as “not a wine person.” Someone might teach us how to drink wine. We may have been doing it wrong all this time.

With barrels for outdoor decor and a rustic fighting bull logo marking the Tasting Room, we were headed in the right direction to start our tasting.

You never know how these things will go. Sometimes, it’s in a timed group setting, and there is always that one guy who knows more about the wines than the people working the vineyard, so I wondered if it would be that type of experience.

Thankfully, it was not.

The space was intimate, warmly lit, and picturesque, with a Baroque-era ceiling that immediately caught my eye. The wine display was unique and classy, with zero attempts to overtly state, “Hey, we are a wine cellar.” Something was fascinating to discover and captured our attention throughout our time there ( check our IG for more visuals). The physical space was cozy and relaxing.

Within seconds of walking in the door, we were greeted kindly by one of the site managers, Shaun, who seated us. In-door seating at Kennedy Cellars is at a high premium. Luckily, we secured a table on the season’s hottest day and forgoed the tasting in extreme temperatures. Shaun provided us with our flight menus, and it looked like the tastings were party-based, which made for a much more chilled experience.

Just me and my man.

Ken mentioned he felt comfortable in the space for not being a wine drinker, with no pressure or pretense. Shaun was very approachable and informative with some of our questions. We also learned what a caper berry was. Not to be confused with the animal capybara. Basically, it is the adult version of a caper. We like capers better.

The laughter and hum of Danny’s voice drew me into what he was sharing with a group seated behind us. Danny is the dynamic and entertaining logistics and operational site manager. The man had a great sense of humor and a gift for food and wine descriptions that connected and intrigued you to try. He described one wine as” a Lamborghini running up and down your tongue and landing on the right side of your cheek. “

OKAY—I’m down for that fun!

We ordered our flights, and the wine presentation and instructions were clear and playful. Our wines were paired with a cheese and meat board, of course. We ordered wildly different wines, with Ken mostly sweet but venturing out and mine mostly dry and venturing sweet. Danny added two additional wines on top. In total, we tried 10 wines.

That’s a lot of wine. Just saying.

With our well-established palates, we did not care for our attempts at drinking ventures. At least we had the gift of opportunity to try something different. We settled on what has worked for us: sweet for Ken and dry for Sam. We appreciated the lessons and the ability to say, ” I don’t like that, ” without sounding snobby, ungrateful, and feeling guilty.

Being honest about what you don’t like in life, relationships, and wine is invaluable. It’s all a lesson in becoming more of who you are and enjoying that journey.

Would we go back?

If we brought some friends who appreciate various wines or family wanting a Jersey experience, the location, venue, and people would be well worth the visit. Or maybe a bottle of dry, the Bipartisan for Sam, which we took home.

To learn more click here to plan your wine date at Kennedy Cellars and tell Danny & Shaun we said, “Hi.”