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W i n e s & V i n e s J U n e 2 0 1 4 81 WineEast States by the OCPVA and are currently being tested and grown in quarantine at Foundation Plant Services at the University of California, Davis. These will be released exclusively to the OCPVA for further testing. What the future holds for the Outer Coastal Plain AVA and the OCPVA is anyone's guess. But the organization's success in promoting research—and its efforts to gain recognition for the region—so far have been a welcome boost to the vineyards and wineries within its borders. There is no better proof of this than the results of an event held in 2012 at the American Association of Wine Economists conference, which took place at Princeton University. Through the efforts of the OCPVA, AAWE, Rutgers and other industry participants, a blind tasting was held pitting New Jersey wines against top- quality French wines (Bordeaux blends and Chardonnay) in a loose re-creation of the famous "Judgment of Paris" between French and California wines 40 years ago. The price of the French wines averaged $300 per bottle, while the average of those from New Jersey was less than $30 per bottle. This time the "Judgment of Princeton," as it was dubbed, resulted in New Jersey wines from the OCP comparing very favorably to their French coun- terparts, such that there was no statistically significant dif- ference between most of them in the scoring. The panel was comprised of both American and European judges, and the tast- ing was conducted by George Taber, the sole American jour- nalist present at the Judgment of Paris. OCPVA co-founder Jim Quarella of Bellview Winery re- marked, "Our wines were judged on merit and nothing else…so we were very happy." One can certainly argue what, if anything, this result means. What is not arguable is that the OCP wine industry has come a long way since its near-demise during Prohibition. The identity of the Outer Coastal Plain AVA is coming into focus. As OCPVA president and co-founder Dr. Lawrence Coia said after the Judgment of Princeton, "We have identified a number of varieties of grapes that grow extremely well here.…I think we have a tremendous future." WE Dante J. Romanini is owner of Panther Branch Vineyard in Vineland, N.J., where he has been growing wine grapes for more than 30 years. He is an attorney and one of the co- founders of the OCPVA. Bird Netting Basic Hoe comes with a Hillup and a Takeaway Blade. Additional attachments include .3 Tooth Cultivator, Undercutter Blade, Rotary head, " NEW " Rolling Cultivator and "Vine Auger". The Green Hoe Company, Inc. 6645 West Main Road, Portland, NY 14769 PHONE (716) 792-9433 FAX (716) 792-9434 WWW.GREENHOECOMPANY.COM GREEN GRAPE HOE Rank New Jersey Bordeaux-Style Reds vs. Bordeaux Winner 1 Chˆ ateau Mouton Rothschild 2004 2 Chˆ ateau Haut-Brion 2004 3 Heritage Vineyards BDX 2010 4 Chˆ ateau Montrose 2004 5 Tomasello Winery Oak Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 6 Chˆ ateau Léoville Las-Cases 2004 7 Bellview Winery Lumiere 2010 8 Silver Decoy Winery Cabernet Franc 2008 9 Amalthea Cellars Europa VI 2008 10 Four JGs Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2008 JUDGMENT OF PRINcETON View Video: The American Association of Wine Economists modeled the Judgment of Prince- ton wine tasting after the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris.