WINES FOR PRESERVATION: Labels featuring art by James Fiorentino, whose landscapes come from the preserved lands of D&R Greenway Land Trust, are featured on three new wines from Old York Cellars. A percentage of each sale of the wines will benefit the land trust’s preservation and stewardship mission.

D&R Greenway Land Trust, in partnership with Old York Cellars of Ringoes, is offering a new program, Wines for Preservation. A large percentage of each sale of the three wines of the 2019 harvest will benefit the land trust’s preservation and stewardship mission. The wine labels feature art by James Fiorentino, whose landscapes come from the preserved lands of D&R Greenway Land Trust.

This official collaboration with a New Jersey vintner is fitting, due to D&R Greenway’s preservation of more than 8,000 acres of farmlands that contribute to New Jersey’s reputation as the Garden State. Old York Cellars is nestled in the Sourland Mountain area of central New Jersey, where D&R Greenway has preserved thousands of significant acres including its first preserved acre upon its founding 30 years ago. The land trust’s Sourlands successes ensure the health of a crucial watershed, essential in order to achieve excellent wines.

The wines are St. Michaels Red, Sourlands White, and Goat Hill Rosé.  Each label is a collector’s piece, presenting artwork of each of these three preserves.

Fiorentino serves as vice chair of D&R Greenway’s Board of Trustees. He has donated the use of his artwork to create this series of charity wines to enable D&R Greenway’s preservation work. Fiorentino’s canvases celebrating nature are exhibited throughout the world and most recently in the land trust’s Johnson Education Center. His first one-man show on endangered New Jersey wildlife premiered at D&R Greenway and went on to a series of exhibitions including at Manhattan’s Salmagundi Club, of which he is a member.

For his most recent exhibition, Fiorentino filled the Marie L. Matthews Gallery at the Johnson Education Center with portraits of the land trust’s unique nature preserves. It is from this exhibit that the artwork for the wine labels was chosen.

“I am so very honored to have my artwork grace the bottles of Old York cellars wine, as I am a personal fan,” he said. “D & R Greenway has a wonderful message to spread through the beauty of artwork and the pleasure of wine.”

The winery is at 80 Old York Road in Ringoes. For more information, visit drgreenway.org.