Egg Harbor City, NJ -- The Historical Renault Winery

There is no better place to be then at a winery when it's this cold and snowing and MISERABLE OUT!

Our weekend took us to a New Jersey winery, a first for us both.  The Renault winery is one of the oldest continuously operating wineries in the US.  The winery tour is a 'must' because there is so much history here to remember, let-along type in a blog.  It was a bit overwhelming but in a good way!

Here are some of the key historical facts...the ones that I remember.  The winery started with Louis Renault who had traveled from France in 1855 to start growing grapes where he hoped, would not be affected by a parasite that had destroyed nearly all of France's wine industry in the mid-1800s. What a sad thing to happen :(   Louie grafted American root stocks (which were resistant to the parasite) onto French vines and the rest is history.  

In 1919 John D'Agostino and his family purchased the winery.  They were able to operate during the 14 years of Prohibition under a special government permit.  Yes, it is safe to assume that D'Agostino might have been involved in organize crime, and yes, he was a genius!  D'Agostino was able to continue the operations of wine making by producing it for religious and medicinal reasons.  Renault Wine Tonic (what is was called and sold as) was sold all over in drug stores and right over the counter.  It had an unbelievable 22% alcohol content.  That is Port Wine status!  The medicinal wine was mixed with a tonic that when it was frozen, the tonic and wine would separate with the tonic frozen on the bottom.  This leaving the wine to float to the top and what we all know would happen, to also then be drunk without the tonic.  I know I would have. 

 Below is one of the actual steel vats that was used during the Prohibition!  Crazy!

Currently, the winery is owned by the Milza family who has brought the winery to resort feel.  There is a hotel, two delicious restaurants, museum, golf course, ballroom and pretty of event space.  See additional pictures below of the winery.  

Ben and I had made a weekend out of it and stayed at the hotel called the Tuscany House.  Below is a picture taken in the lobby.  It is a hotel/B&B kind of feel.  We also had dinner at the Gourmet Restaurant, where the food was delicious, live music was performed and the chef did wine pairings with his suggested entrees.

And, of course the wines were delicious as well!  I do love some Champagne and their best is the Blueberry Champagne...brought some back to VA with me. It's that good! 

One last interesting historical fact about Renault.  Renault's Champagne has been made at Renault for over 150 year and because it was founded by Louie, whose wine making is tied back to France and the original Champagne district, Renault's Champagne was grandfathered into a "Champagne".  The only compromise they had to make with the French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée is that they must refer to it as "American Champagne".  They are the only US Champagne making winery that can actually call it "Champagne" with a capital "C".  All the other US champagne makers have to label it as "Sparkling Wine".