HERE’S TO YOU! “We enjoy offering our guests a welcoming, enjoyable experience at our vineyard, including even more events. We want coming here to be a pleasure for everyone.” Sergio and Violetta Neri, owners and winemakers at Hopewell Valley Vineyards, are proud of their award-winning wines and of their congenial setting for dining, wine tasting, and events and social gatherings of all kinds.

By Jean Stratton

Hopewell Valley Vineyards not only offers first class wines for purchase and tasting, it is also a destination in itself.

Located on 75 acres at 46 Yard Road in Pennington, its rustic setting is a popular spot for weddings, anniversary celebrations, birthday parties, corporate meetings, benefits, and other events.

In addition, many visitors enjoy stopping in for light dining and a glass of wine, and live music entertainment on weekends, all the while relishing the engaging atmosphere and attractive setting.

Owners and husband and wife Sergio and Violetta Neri take great pride in the vineyards, which were established in 2001. Both of their families, Sergio’s in Italy and Violetta’s in Greece, had experience in wine-making, but the Hopewell Valley Vineyards were not even on the horizon when Sergio and Violetta each arrived separately in the U.S.

Seeing the Sights

Sergio had graduated with an engineering degree in Italy, and after coming to the Princeton area to enroll his autistic son in the Princeton Child Development Institute, he continued his engineering studies. He later established a manufacturing and construction business in Ewing.

Violetta, who had earned a law degree in Greece, came to visit friends in Lawrenceville. She enjoyed seeing the sights in New York City, among other travels, and decided to stay in New Jersey and worked in real estate in Princeton for many years.

Wine was indeed a part of their history, however, and as Sergio recalls, “My father had established a vineyard in Tuscany when I was a teenager, and my grandfather also had a small vineyard, so I had experience with winemaking.”

And reports Violetta, “My grandmother made wine in Greece. She taught my mother, and I learned too.”

Nevertheless, opening the Hopewell Valley Vineyards in New Jersey was a new adventure for them, and Sergio contacted experts at Rutgers University to learn about growing grapes here. “I needed to know which grapes were appropriate to be grown in New Jersey. Different places have different climate challenges.

“In the beginning, I thought it was kind of a hobby, but it quickly became a full-time job. I love it, and I continue to learn new things about it all the time. You have to remember that great wines are born in the vineyard, but are raised in the winery.”

Events and Tastings

New Jersey was coming into its own as a wine-making region, and continues to develop, Sergio adds. “We were the 14th vineyard in New Jersey, and now there are 50. It has increased a lot in the past 20 years.”

After they married, Violetta joined the operation in 2008, and began to look into establishing events, tastings, and expanding the dining opportunities.

“Originally, when the vineyards opened, people could basically come to buy a bottle or case of wine,” she explains. “I like to interact with people and spend time with them. That was one of the reasons I had enjoyed my time in real estate, meeting many people during those years. Now, I had this new opportunity to look forward to.”
The events became increasingly popular, and are now year-round. Also, more and more people began coming for light lunches, dinner, and the music entertainment. “In addition to the wine, the guests especially love our artisan pizza,” says Violetta. “We have many kinds, and they are made in our brick pizza oven, designed by Sergio, and we use special flour from Italy.”

The overall response to Hopewell Valley Vineyards has been very enthusiastic, she adds. “We have lots of repeat guests, including many local residents. And the events, especially weddings (both ceremonies and receptions), are more and more popular, with people coming from New York and Philadelphia as well as the nearby area.”
There are both indoor and outdoor spaces for guests to gather. Indoors, the larger piano tasting room features slate floors, a large copper-top bar, stone and stucco walls, a stage/dance floor, and the rustic brick pizza oven. The room accommodates up to 100 people seated, and with the stage and overhead projection system, it can be ideal for business meetings. The Steinway concert grand piano is a big attraction, and in addition to his other skills, Sergio is a talented jazz pianist.

Perfect Space

The smaller upper tasting room also has slate floors, a large copper-top bar, stone and stucco walls, and an attached covered deck that may be used in addition to the indoor space. Fifty guests can be seated. This area also has a display of artwork by area artists, points out Violetta. “I have a passion for art,” she explains, “and we have exhibits year-round.”

A third location is the tank room, with its more industrial look and feel. It can accommodate up to 65 guests seated, also includes a bar, and is a perfect space for a DJ and dancing for weddings. It can also be used as a private event space for various functions.

Outdoors, the 40 by 80 foot tent is an ideal setting to celebrate an event from May through October. Up to 180 people can be accommodated for social gatherings of all kinds.

In addition, Hopewell Valley Vineyards can supply tables, chairs, linens, and catering services. “We can cater events with amazingly superb Italian-focused cuisine,” reports Violetta.

The wine tastings are also favorites at the vineyards, and as Violetta explains, “We offer flights — that is four different wines, by the glass, by the bottle to share, and bottles to go.”

Hopewell Valley Vineyards’ wines have achieved accolades from connoisseurs, critics, and novice wine drinkers alike. Offering a taste for many palates, these top quality wines have gained local, national, and international recognition at hundreds of wine competitions.

Best in Class

Recently, 17 Hopewell Valley Vineyards wines were submitted at the Finger Lakes Wine Competition, among 3,200 wines from 22 countries, and 16 of the Hopewell Valley Vineyards wines were selected as winners.

Other highlights include the prestigious New Jersey Governor’s Cup for the vineyards’ Chambourcin 2006, and best in class awards on an international scale, including the popular 2009 Merlot which scored 92 at the Los Angeles Wine and Spirits Competition.

Since then, the Hopewell Valley Vineyards’ Basla and Cabernet Sauvignon have returned with golds and double golds in multiple competitions.

The majority of wines at Hopewell Valley Vineyards consist of estate grown (wines produced from grapes grown at the vineyards); also available are estate fermented (with grapes from California, but fermented at the vineyard); and estate cellared (wines imported from Italy). Red, white sparkling, dessert, dry, and sweet are all available.

Favorites include the estate grown high quality Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay (double gold medal winner), and the Rossa della Valle dry red, made with Chambourcin grapes. “Our Barbera is always great,” points out Violetta. “This is a vinifera from the Piedmont region in northern Italy, which we started as a tribute to Sergio’s maternal grandfather, Nonno Pietro, who had a small vineyard, produced his own vino, and very much enjoyed it every single day!”

These are just a sampling of the many wines available by the glass, bottle, or case. The 15 acres of grapes under cultivation produce 6,500 cases of wine per year.

Artisan Pizzas

In addition to the very popular artisan pizzas, guests at Hopewell Valley Vineyards enjoy the Light Fare menu with its variety of choices. Among them are the cheese plate with assorted cheeses, salami, Castelvetrano olives, and fresh grapes; and the Aegean salad with organic spring mix, feta, olives, carrots, and imported EVOO dressing.

Also, Spanakopita, with its blend of spinach, feta cheese, eggs, onion, dill and spices layered between sheets of flaky filo; and Caprese di Burrata, featuring creamy Puglia-style mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, organic greens, and basil/imported EVOO drizzle, among other options.

Desserts include Tartufo (chocolate and vanilla ice cream in a thin chocolate shell); Pistachio Ricotta Cake, Ferrero Rocher crispy hazelnut chocolates, and brownie bites.
Light fare prices range from $4 to $15, and pizzas from $14 to $17. Wines start at $6 for the glass and $16.95 for the bottle. Many are in the $24/$25 range up to $36 and $40.

Many Visitors

Violetta and Sergio Neri are happy to be able to share their very special Hopewell Valley Vineyards with many visitors. As Violetta says, “I enjoy it all! I enjoy having wine myself, introducing our wines to so many guests, and seeing them enjoy it. I also enjoy the actual hands-on making of the wine. Sergio and I live together, work together, and travel together when we have the chance to visit our family members in Italy and Greece.

“And waking up and seeing the morning mists of the Sourland Mountains hovering over the vineyard fills me with such gratitude. I am deeply grateful for our family and life together and for our business that supports the family and offers joy, fun, and a serene place for our guests to rest and relax.”

Hopewell Valley Vineyards is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12 to 9 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 6 p.m. For further information, call (609) 737-4465 and visit the website at hopewellvalleywines.com.