I lived in South Jersey for most of my life, yet I was completely unaware that such a popular winery with a rich history was right here in my backyard. The Renault Winery’s story dates back nearly 156 years, when Louis Nicholas Renault left his hometown in France to set sail for California and later settled in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. Since then, the winery has changed hands a few times but still retains one unique trait that sets it apart from other wineries.
While most wineries in the U.S. are not allowed to call their sparkling wine champagne, Renault Winery has a notable historical exception. This historical privilege dates back to when Louis Renault requested a special permit from French authorities in the 1870s that allowed his wines to be labeled as champagne. Since the winery is grandfathered in, it can still safely call its blueberry sparkling wine “Blueberry Champagne”, unlike other companies in the U.S. that must refer to it as a sparkling wine. Today, visitors can take a walking tour of Renault Winery and experience a wine tasting, diving into the history of this special winery.
The winery tour
The group walking tour begins at the riddling rack, where the wine team starts to tell the story of Louis Renault and his journey. Next, you’ll head through a unique room filled with glasses from all over the world and even walk through hidden passageways that were used during the Prohibition era. After Renault passed away and the D’Agostino family continued to produce Renault’s famous wine, the winery earned more attention nationally when it became the largest distributor of champagne in America. Renault’s famed Champagne was even used at JFK’s inauguration.
The tour
Throughout the experience, you’ll learn the historical significance of each room in the winery. One of my favorite parts of the tour was checking out the old wine labels and learning about the various wine and alcohol terms used during the Prohibition era. If you love history and love wine, this tour is 100% for you.
Renault winery tasting
After the tour concludes, the experience will conclude with a wine tasting of three of the winery’s most popular varieties. I’m not a regular wine drinker, but I do enjoy wine tasting. In most wine tastings I’ve tried, there are usually a few I can’t stand and a few I love. To me, this Renault Winery tasting is especially memorable because all the wines were equally delicious. Even though I generally prefer white and rosé wines, the red wine was excellent.
The star of the show, the blueberry champagne, left me wondering how I had lived under an hour’s drive away from this, my whole life, and never heard about it. Then blueberry champagne had just the right amount of light blueberry hint to it, almost like a blueberry muffin or pancake. It doesn’t have a heavy sweetness; instead, a natural essence that makes it irresistible. Perfect for summer, I can see myself stopping in the Renault Winery on my drive down to the Jersey shore throughout the summer.
