List of wineries, breweries, and distilleries in New Jersey facts for kids
This is a list of wineries, breweries, and distilleries in the state of New Jersey in the United States. As of 2015[update], there are currently 48 wineries, 28 breweries, and 7 distilleries that are licensed and in operation within the state. The following lists do not include wineries, breweries, and distilleries which are no longer in business, or those that are in the process of being established.
History
Alcoholic beverages (i.e., beer, wine, and spirits) have been produced in New Jersey since the colonial era. The first brewery in New Jersey was established in a fledgling Dutch settlement in what is now Hoboken when the state was part the Dutch New Netherlands colony. It was short-lived and destroyed by a band of Lenape in 1643 during Governor Kieft's War (1643-1645). The production of beer in New Jersey ranges from large international conglomerates like Anheuser-Busch to microbreweries producing smaller quantities using artisanal methods. The industrial northeastern corner of the state has historically been a major beer-production region, and the majority of New Jersey's breweries and brewpubs are in that region. Laird & Company, founded around 1780 in the village of Scobeyville in Colts Neck, is the oldest licensed distillery in the United States, having received license No. 1 from the Department of the Treasury.
Wine grapes were planted by the early settlers of New Jersey, and some of the current wineries were established in locations where wine grapes were already present. In 1767, the Royal Society of Arts in London praised two wines made on New Jersey plantations for making fine quality products derived from colonial agriculture. The oldest, continuously-operated winery in the state, Renault Winery, was established in 1864.
The production of wine in New Jersey largely consists of small farm wineries. Because of its sandy soil and warmer climate, the majority of the state's wineries are located in South Jersey's Outer Coastal Plain Viticultural Area. A handful of wineries are in western New Jersey's Warren Hills Viticultural Area. Part of the Central Delaware Valley Viticultural Area is in New Jersey, but no New Jersey wineries are currently in this viticultural area.
New Jersey wineries produce wine from more than 90 varieties of grapes, and from over 25 other fruits.
Until the 1980s, prohibition-era laws severely restricted the number of wineries, breweries, and distilleries in the state. In 1981, the New Jersey Farm Winery Act exempted low-volume family-owned wineries from the restrictions, and allowed wineries to create outlet stores. Likewise, New Jersey created a limited brewery license for microbreweries and a restricted brewery license for brewpubs. In 1995, the Ship Inn in Milford became the first brewpub in New Jersey since Prohibition. In 2012, New Jersey liberalized its licensing laws to allow microbreweries to sell beer by the glass as part of a tour, and sell up to 15.5 gallons (i.e., a keg) for off-premises consumption. The same legislation permits brewpubs to brew up to 10,000 barrels of beer per year, and sell to wholesalers and at festivals. In 2013, New Jersey issued the first new distillery license since Prohibition to Jersey Artisan Distilling, and passed a law creating a craft distillery license.
