Renault Winery ( )Toms, Charlie
"Renault Winery Review"
in ''

American Winery Guide American Winery Guide (AWG) is an online compendium of wineries in the United States. Founded by Jim Finley and Tim Donahoe in 2007, American Winery Guide catalogues and maps American wineries by state and viticultural area. The guide lists t ...

'' (15 June 2013). Retrieved 1 November 2013. is a

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

located in

Egg Harbor City Egg Harbor City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 4,396, an increase of 153 from the 2010 Census.Galloway Township in

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a County (United States), county located along the southern coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 274,534.

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It is the oldest active winery in the state in

.Jackson, Bart. ''Garden State Wineries Guide.'' (South San Francisco, CA: Wine Appreciation Guild, 2011).
. Renault is one of the larger winegrowers in New Jersey, having 48 acres of grapes under cultivation, and producing 20,000 cases of wine per year. The winery is named after its founder.Schmidt, R. Marilyn. ''Wines and Wineries of New Jersey.'' (Chatsworth, NJ: Pine Barrens Press, 1999).
. Renault Winery is named after Louis Nicolas Renault.

History

The

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

was first planted in 1864 by Louis Nicolas Renault, a French immigrant from

Mareuil-sur-Ay Mareuil-sur-Ay (, literally ''Mareuil on Ay'') is a former commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. Since January 2016, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ is part of the administrative commune Aÿ-Champagne. Its population was 1,113 in 2019. The ...

who brought the original '' vinifera'' grapes from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

.Rignani, Jennifer Papale. ''Images of America: New Jersey Wineries.'' (Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2008).
. Renault opened to the public in 1870, and for many years was the largest producer of

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

in the United States.Westrich, Sal. ''New Jersey Wine: A Remarkable History.'' (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2012).
. Renault survived the

Prohibition era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...

by obtaining licenses to produce

sacramental wine Sacramental wine, Communion wine, altar wine, or wine for consecration is wine obtained from grapes and intended for use in celebration of the Eucharist (also referred to as the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion, among other names). It is usually ...

as well as various medicinal wines, including "Renault Wine Tonic" which was sold by

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

s across the United States.Renault Winer
"The History of Renault Winery"
(commercial website). Retrieved 22 June 2013. Mildred Norman, decades before her treks across the continent as

Peace Pilgrim Peace Pilgrim (July 18, 1908 – July 7, 1981), born Mildred Lisette Norman, was an American spiritual teacher, mystic, pacifist, vegetarian activist and peace activist. In 1952, she became the first woman to walk the entire length of the Appalac ...

, worked in the winery as a secretary. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

political boss In politics, a boss is a person who controls a faction or local branch of a political party. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves; most historical bosses did not, at least during the times of their greatest influence. Numerous off ...

and

racketeer Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and ...

Enoch "Nucky" Johnson Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson (January 20, 1883December 9, 1968) was an Atlantic City, New Jersey, political boss, a sheriff of Atlantic County, New Jersey, a businessman and a crime boss who was the leader of the political machine that control ...

was employed by Renault. While the winery once cultivated 600 acres of grapes, and sold 500,000 cases of wine per year, production has decreased substantially in recent decades. The winery has instead developed into a

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

, opening a

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

in 1983, a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

and second restaurant in 2000, and a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

in 2004.

Financial struggles

The winery filed for bankruptcy in 2014, and was purchased by OceanFirst Bank, its primary creditor, in 2015. In late 2018 the bank announced the sale of the property to the newly formed Renault Properties LLC. In 2019 Galloway Township agreed to help Renault Winery with its planned rehabilitation via a tax abatement plan.

Wines

Renault Winery is located in the

Outer Coastal Plain AVA The Outer Coastal Plain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southeastern New Jersey. The recently expanded wine appellation includes all of Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, and Ocean counties and portions of Salem, Gloucester, C ...

, and produces wine from

Baco noir Baco noir (pronounced BA-koh NWAHR) is a hybrid red wine grape variety produced by Francois Baco from a cross of ''Vitis vinifera var.'' Folle blanche, a French wine grape, and an unknown variety of ''Vitis riparia'' indigenous to North America. ...

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

Cayuga White Cayuga White is a mid-season ripening wine grape developed from crosses of the ''Vitis labrusca'' hybrids Schuyler and Seyval Blanc at Cornell University's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. It is a hardy vine wit ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

, Merlot,

Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

, Norton (Cynthiana),

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

Pinot gris Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...

, Pinot noir,

Riesling Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape ...

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

Vidal blanc Vidal blanc (or simply Vidal) is a white hybrid grape variety produced from the '' Vitis vinifera'' variety Ugni blanc (also known as Trebbiano Toscano) and another hybrid variety, Rayon d'Or (Seibel 4986). It is a very winter-hardy variety that ...

. Renault also makes

fruit wine Fruit wines are fermented alcoholic beverages made from a variety of base ingredients (other than grapes); they may also have additional flavors taken from fruits, flowers, and herbs. This definition is sometimes broadened to include any alcohol ...

s from blueberries, and is the only winery in the United States to make a blueberry champagne.

Features, licensing, and associations

The winery is located on a 1400-acre site which includes an 18-hole golf course, a 50-room hotel, and two restaurants.Strauss, Rober
"A Winery Changes Its Face"
in ''The New York Times'' (22 July 2001). Retrieved 3 April 2013. Renault has a plenary winery license from the

New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control The New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (Division of ABC or, simply, ABC) is an agency of the government of the state of New Jersey that regulates commerce in alcoholic beverages in that state. The 21st Amendment to the United State ...

, which allows it to produce an unrestricted amount of wine, operate up to 15 off-premises sales rooms, and ship up to 12 cases per year to consumers in-state or out-of-state. Renault is a member of the

Garden State Wine Growers Association The Garden State Wine Growers Association (GSWGA) is an industry trade association established as an advocate for New Jersey's wine grape growers, providing leadership on research and education programs, public policies, sustainable farming practic ...

and the Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard Association.Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard Association
"Outer Coastal Plain Wineries."
Retrieved 27 April 2013.

References

External links