Westfall Winery
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Westfall Winery in Montague, New Jersey is located at Westfall Farm, a large tract of land purchased by Simon Westfall in 1774. Today Westfall Winery produces red, white and fruit wines. Ask about the history of the land while tasting wines. Westfall Winery is on the Sussex County Wine Trail.
Westfall Winery, in the northern region of New Jersey, offers a wine tasting experience in a section of a barn built in the 1700's. The history of the property is fascinating beginning in 1774 with the selling of the land to Simon Westfall by the Earl of Perth. After purchasing the land, Simon farmed the land and built a stone house. At one point in history, the farm was a stop for the Underground Railroad. Throughout the years, various members of the Westfall family owned the farm. The land remained in the Westfall family until 1940 when it was sold to Charles Mortimer. He worked to turn the farm into an outstanding dairy farm and established the tradition of Morgan horses. Eventually the dairy farm was phased out but the Morgan horses remained. Today the farm boards horses and is home to vineyards and a winery.
Loren and Georgene Mortimer established the Westfall Winery. Vineyards were planted in 2000. In addition they added a wine school. Since establishing the Westfall Winery, they added a second winery to their list of accomplishments. The second winery is located in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Tasting Room
The tasting room is in a section of one of the barns. Two tasting counters are available. Enjoy the interesting setting of tasting wine in an early American built barn.
Red Wines
Sangiovese 2007 offered an aroma and taste with cherry notes. The wine finished with cherry notes, earthy hints and mild tannins. Old Vine Zinfandel 2009 was a light purple. The aroma had floral and perfume nuances while the taste had floral and red berry notes. The spicy finish had tannins. Petite Sirah 2008 was a ruby color with red fruit and licorice nuances. Rhone Blend 2007 was a blend of Grenache, Seyval Blanc and Mourvedre. This wine was a ruby color with dark fruit notes. The finish was fruity with tannins.
Fruit Wines
All fruit wines are produced with fruit from New Jersey. The Strawberry Honey Wine was pleasant with strawberry and honey notes. Spanish Passion is a Sangria wine that is a purple/red color. This well- balanced wine offered citrus and fruit nuances. Blueberry Wine had a taste reminiscent of fresh blueberries. The wine was smooth and sweet. Raspberry Wine had raspberry notes throughout. A suggested pairing for the Raspberry Wine was chocolate cake.
Dessert Wine
Chocolate Orange Port with 18 percent alcohol had notes of orange and chocolate. There was no heat on the finish.
Winery Events
Westfall Winery participates in the Sussex County Wine Trail events. In addition, they host several events throughout the year including a Summer BBQ, Bring Your Own Picnic, Barrel Tasting & Picnic, Pasta and Westfall Wine Cooking Demo with Chef Cardie, a Chili Cook-off, Octoberfest and a Friends of the Delaware Gap National Recreation Area Wine & Cheese Festival. Check the Westfall Winery website calendar for details.
Private events can take place at the winery. These events include anniversary parties, birthday parties, class reunions, corporate outings, engagement parties, and fundraisers.
When visiting Westfall Winery at Westfall Farm be sure to ask about this farm that has been owned by only two families since 1774.
Westfall Winery
141 Clove Road
Montague, NJ 07827
GPS: N41º 19.454’ W74º 43.226’
