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78 W i n e s & V i n e s J U n e 2 0 1 4 WineEast Sales & Marketing W hen most American Viticultural Areas are established, the only noticeable change is that wineries in the designated area add the AVA's name to their wine labels. The members of the Outer Coastal Plain AVA, officially estab- lished in 2007 in southeastern New Jersey, decided they wanted to do more to raise the awareness of the region's longstanding winemaking tradition and the high-quality wines being made there. Launching a signature wine Perhaps the most unique and promising un- dertaking by the Outer Coastal Plain Vineyard Association (OCPVA) has been to create, es- tablish, name and trademark a proprietary red wine blend that it hopes will be a signature wine to promote the AVA. The association's membership had the idea to determine what red wine varieties grow best and make the best wine in the AVA and then establish parameters for the vinification of a blend of those varieties. Once made by the participat- ing winery members, the blend—to be called Coeur d'Est—would serve as a means of pro- moting the regional character of the AVA. This effort was started more than two years ago, and the first wines made with the Coeur d'Est label were introduced by eight participating wineries May 7 at a reception at Tomasello Winery in Hammonton, N.J. (see page 74). Winemaking and grapegrowing historically have been major industries in this region. As far back as colonial days, wines from grapes grown in the area made their way back to England. By the early 20th century there were numerous wineries in operation, particularly in and around the area west of Atlantic City. Grapegrowing was so favor- able that Dr. Thomas Welch founded what eventually became Welch's Grape Juice in Vineland, N.J., in the mid-19th century. Although the region has a long history of winemaking, Prohibition made a significant dent in that tradition and resulted not only in the permanent closing of many regional wineries but also in a long period of time when little or no growth or innovation of any kind took place in the local wine industry. In spite of Prohibition, one of the nation's oldest continuously operating wineries, Renault Winery in Egg Harbor City, N.J., did survive and continues to make wine within the boundaries of the new AVA. With the passage of the New Jersey Farm Winery Act in the early 1980s, significant new activity was initiated, including the planting of many cultivars previously untested in the region. But this innovation also meant there was little concrete data about how these previously untested grapes performed in the growing conditions of the OCP. Since more than 80 grape varieties were being planted and grown, it was nec- essary to determine which ones were most suited to the terroir as well as making good wine. As a first step, the OCPVA undertook a survey of all vineyards in the AVA to deter- mine what varieties were being grown suc- cessfully on a regular basis and, of those, which consistently made the best wines. Once these varieties were identified, grower, winery, consumer and food and beverage industry feedback was obtained through tastings and sensory analysis in order to determine what varieties should go into the blend and in what amounts. The association did this by having participating wineries prepare examples of various blends using the chosen grape varieties—Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Chambourcin—in various percentages. These samples were evaluated to determine what the blend parameters should be. The regional blend will consist of these five varieties, but each winery participating in the effort and using the blend name will be permitted to determine its own unique combination of the five within the percentage parameters established for each variety by the OCPVA formula for the blend. The as- sociation will own the name, which is being trademarked, and will license the use of the name to each participating winery. The blend rules also require that prior to a winery's release of a wine under the blend name, it must undergo a sensory evaluation by a neu- tral third-party panel to be certain that the wine meets quality standards established by the OCPVA. The blend agreement signed by participants also has other requirements that must be adhered to in order to use the name. The naming of the blend turned out to be a time-consuming and sometimes frustrat- ing process. After a great deal of consumer and membership input that took months to complete, a name was chosen only to find Establishing an Identity for the Outer Coastal Plain By Dante J. Romanini Wine East HIGHLIGHTS • established in 2007, the Outer Coastal Plain AVA includes most of the southern half of new Jersey. • The area's vineyard association created a signature blend of five varieties to help promote the regional character of the AVA. • With the help of the Rutgers Agricultural Research & extension service, the association has been awarded several UsDA grants for viticultural research and promotion of the region. NY PA CT MA NEW JERSEY Trenton Jersey City Atlantic City DE Atlantic Ocean NY Outer Coastal Plain AVA Warren Hills AVA Central Delaware AVA The Outer Coastal Plain AVA covers 2.25 million acres and includes more than 40 vineyards and 25 wineries.