NJ Winemaking School - The Grape Escape - News

Five Wine Regions!

The Grape Escape is proud to be the first and only hands-on winery that offers you the opportunity to make wine from five distinct and world renowned regions.

In 2006, The Grape Escape introduced grapes from Napa Valley and Sonoma County to its portfolio. In 2007, we will ship grapes from the famous region of Mendoza, Argentina.

Malbec is the specific wine that has made the Mendoza region famous and The Grape Escape will offer that varietal as well as Bonarda and Tempranilla. Wonderfully distinct and interesting wines that are difficult to find even in the best wine shops.

Please visit our wines page for a breakdown of all the specific grapes available from each region. We have been committed to getting you the best grapes possible from California and Chile and this is just a natural step towards offering you many choices in your wine production.

In Sping 2007, The Grape Escape will offer two regions:

Argentina ( Mendoza ):

Argentina is one of the world’s top five largest wine producing nations; it is located east of the Andes Mountain range in the South American continent and is a country of some 3.5 million square kilometers (four times the size of France ). The valleys situated in and along the foothills of the Andes Mountains have ideal natural conditions for growing vines.

The Argentine vineyards lie between the Southern Latitude parallels of 22 - 42 where a desert climate produces arid growing conditions. Irrigation by water obtained from the plentiful, eternal snows of the Andes and the combination of warm sunny days and often very cold nights create an especially healthy environment for vines.

In general terms, the areas dedicated to vine cultivation are dry and arid with a low level of rain and humidity, determining factor as regards grape health. Abundant sunny days and thermal amplitude favor a good maturity and concentration of aroma and color in the wine. Soils are deep, permeable and poor in organic matter, decisive qualities at the time of obtaining good wine. Due to the low rain regime, irrigation is necessary. Water comes from the Andean range thaw, descending in the shape of rivers to become channels or ditches.

One of the keys to the growing quality of wine here is the altitude, with vineyards planted at between 2,000 and 3,000 feet to exploit cooler temperatures. Perfect temperatures of warm days and cool nights for growing the lushest of grapes, state of the art technology and restless vintners bent on lifting Argentina 's wine production to rival the best. To see a table of varietals available from this region, please see our wine chart.

Chile ( Curico Valley ):

The Curico Valley is home to some of the most exciting Chilean grapes. Chilean grapes are prized internationally as creating some of the most distinct and flavorful wines. The grapes are grown by traditional means and likened most to French wines. The distinction of Chilean wines lies within its terrior and the climate. Keep an eye on this region as it is gaining more and more international recognition. To see a table of varietals available from this region, please see our wine chart.

In Fall 2007, we will offer three region specific products from California:

Grand Cru (Sierra Foothills, Amador, Select Lodi):

These include the grapes that you have come to love from The Grape Escape. These are grapes from Amador and The Sierra Foothills which are producing unbelievable wines. This area is producing deep red wines and light and fruity white wines. They include all your favorite varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Barbera, Brunello and Super Tuscans as well as all our white wines. We truly get wonderful grapes from these regions and in fact are the only wine school to offer these regions as our entry level product. To see a table of varietals available from this region, please see our wine chart.

Premier Cru (Sonoma County, Mendocino):

We experimented in 2005 with grapes from Sonoma and we are very pleased with the progress. The grapes available from Sonoma include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel and Chardonnay. Sonoma's unique climate and soil ensures world class wines that have been appreciated world wide. To see a table of varietals available from this region, please see our wine chart.

Grand Premier Cru (Napa Valley):

The Grape Escape will be offering Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah from Napa Valley in 2006. We are working with an exclusive vineyard in Napa to bring you these treasured grapes. Napa Valley is of course producing grapes that are celebrated world wide with it's very unique volcanic soil and remarkably stable climate. There is a limited quantity of grapes available from Napa, so we will be securing orders as of today for the Fall 2006 season. To see a table of varietals available from this region, please see our wine chart.

Discover unbelievable wines made from some of the finest grapes in the world, right here in Dayton NJ. For directions, click here.

About The Grape Escape: Thomas and Nancy Nye are the proprietors at The Grape Escape, which is the first and only winemaking school in Middlesex County, NJ.

The same grapes used in the best wineries in the U.S. are now available to all winemakers. Award- winning grapes are shipped to the Dayton location, from renowned California appellations such as Napa Valley and Sonoma as well as Chile and Argentina in the Spring.

For more information, visit GoGrapes.com