The deadline to get your NJ wine passport stamped is nearing

🍷 The deadline for New Jersey's Wine Trail Passport Program is next month

🍷 Visit as many wineries as possible and get your passport stamped

🍷 You could be a grand prize winner

New Jersey has more than 60 wineries and vineyards across the state. In fact, another just opened recently in Voorhees called Saddle Hill Cellars.

This is a great time of year to take part in New Jersey’s Wine Trail Passport Program, hosted by The Garden State Winegrowers Association.

But you only have until May 20 to complete the annual passport and be entered into the grand prize drawing, said Devon Perry, Executive Director of The Garden State Winegrowers Association.

How does the passport work?

Starting on May 21 and ending on May 20 the following year, every year, visitors are encouraged to check in at wineries across the state with the app. Just search NJ Wine and download it to a phone where visitors can discover wineries, get directions, and enjoy a fun-filled day or weekend exploring wineries, Perry said.

While the passport is via the app, Perry said the GSWGA is in the process of creating a special edition printed passport in partnership with Edible Jersey, that commemorates the anniversary of The Judgment of Princeton. Those passports will be available sometime in the fall.

In 2012, the Judgment of Princeton put New Jersey on the map. It was modeled after The Judgment of Paris which allowed California to go head-to-head with international winemakers in a double blind taste test, she said.

How many wineries can you visit with the passport?

You can visit as many wineries as you want throughout the May to May year, and it depends on your interests, Perry said.

Plan for a weekend and visit a cluster of wineries that are geographically centered around the experience. For example, in Cape May County, you can book an overnight stay, and visit a bunch of wineries such as Hawk Have, Jesse Creek, and Cape May wineries.

Others like to float around the state with friends and family and make it an entire experience all year round, she said.

What happens at check-in?

Once you show the winery your passport and check-in, then the winery staff will walk you through a variety of experiences and events such as flight tastings and sample new varieties. Meet the winemakers and owners and enjoy talks with them. Take a tour of the winery and vineyard. Enjoy tasting room experiences with culinary delights paired with flights, and so much more, Perry explained.

The Grand Prize

The Wine Trail Passport program ends every year on May 20. For those who use the app to download the passport, the GSWGA can automatically see every winery check-in, so each person is automatically entered into the grand prize drawing.

Then, in late August, a grand prize winner will be chosen. The grand prize is a NJ VIP Experience for two. It’s visits all across the state to award-winning destinations with New Jersey wine present at the table, Perry said. The experience may include overnight stays at luxury hotels, dinner, and wine tasting experiences, guided tours, gift certificates to use throughout the experience, tickets to wine festivals in the area, and so much more.

“The passport program is such wonderful for us as the official association representing all the vineyards and wineries in the state to encourage people close and far to stay longer and come back for more. We see this not just as an enjoyable visitor experience but as a true driver for economic impact within the tourism industry,” Perry said.

New Jersey was recently recognized by wine enthusiasts as one of seven up-and-coming international wine destinations. So, this is a good time for folks to take advantage of what people all over the world are going to soon experience in New Jersey, she added.

For more information about the Wine Trail Passport program, visit here.

For those of you who prefer beer, New Jersey just began its Jersey Brews Trail in January. It’s like the wine trails, but instead of wineries, visitors can check out craft breweries.

Check out the information here.

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