new jersey wineries | wpawinepirate

San Marco, a new vinifera wine grape cross variety has been generating plenty of buzz in the eastern United States since the Quarella family, owners of Bellview Winery imported vines from Italy and planted them in their Landisville, New Jersey vineyard more than ten years ago.

My friend and winemaker Jerry Pompa (Instagram: @jerrypompa) piqued my interest in this promising grape after he attended a Quarella family presentation at the Eastern Winery Expo 2023.

San Marco was created in 1993 by Marco Stefanini at Trentino’s Foundation Edmund Mach. Trentino-Alto Adige is Italy’s northernmost region. It has weather conditions similar to those found on the East Coast of the United States with its temperature extremes, both hot and cold.

San Marco is a cross between two grapes of the Alto Adige, Teroldego and Lagrien. You can find my review of Castel Sallegg Lagrein 2019 and my interview with Castel Sallegg Director, Ulrike Platter by scrolling down this blog page.

San Marco has loose, medium-sized oval berries with deep pigmentation of skin and flesh, like another teinturier favorite of mine, Saperavi. Cane pruning is required and training on a VSP (vertical shoot position) trellis provides the best results in the U.S., as opposed to the pergola method used in Italy. One thing holding this variety back in the U.S. is the discovery of Grapevine Pinot Gris Virus (GPGV) and Grapevine red blotch-associated Virus (GPBaV) on some vines. Growers in Italy have experienced this same issue but say it has yet to affect the quality of their fruit or spread to neighboring vines. Virus-free vines should be available from Double A Vineyards doubleavineyards.com for $13.50 but are currently sold out. Jerry’s tasting notes for Bellview San Marco Outer Coastal Plain 2020 mention a dense plum color, black fruit, spice, cherries, and chocolate.

It is exciting to see a new red wine grape emerge with the potential that San Marco has. The wine culture in America continues to evolve and improve, albeit slowly but the future of this grape and others look bright.

Photo Credit: Jerry Pompa and winemaking.com

If you have ever dreamed of owning a winery and leading the exciting life of a winemaker, well here’s your chance. Tod and Jean Manspeaker have made the decision to sell their Briar Valley Winery in Bedford, Pennsylvania and embark on the next great adventure of their lives.

Here’s a little background on the winery. The latest Suckling Review gave their Brair Valley Proprietor’s Red and Merlot 91pts and the new Chardonnay 90pts. The International Wine Review scored their Lemberger and Merlot 91pts and Chardonnay 90pts. Briar Valley continues to produce highly rated wines year after year fulfilling a legacy of excellence without fail.

COMMENTS: Rare and unique opportunity to own a family-owned and operated winery! This is an award-winning and turn-key business! Some of their prestigious awards include the Governor’s Cup, a gold medal in the San Francisco’s Chronicle for the Riesling, double gold and best of show in Riesling in the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and many others. Included in this offering is 7,200 square foot building currently producing 1,000-2,000 cases of wine annually with space to easily produce 5,000-10,000 cases; all production equipment; all inventory; goodwill; and all licenses. The license allows the production of still and sparkling wines, distilled spirits, and hard cider. The tasting room is leased space located in the heart of downtown Bedford, beer sales are also permitted here.

MLS 51709 Click here: Click here for link to listing

For more information please contact Sean Bardell at Howard Hanna Bardell Realty 814-623-8622 email: STBardell@yahoo.com