tip your hat to the Pink Lady

Renault is New Jersey's oldest winery, established in 1864 by Frenchman Louis Nicholas Renault.  Thanks to Renault's French pedigree, Renault Winery is the only winery outside of the Champagne region of France with the ability to call its champagne by its rightful name.  Located in Egg Harbor City, Renault is a hidden treasure that offers wine lovers an escape from the Garden State's daily grind, with a hotel, two restaurants, and a golf course on its vineyard grounds.

A personal favorite is Renault's Pink Lady, a sweet rose that--when well chilled--blends perfectly with any meal.  A flapper-esque woman donning a wide-brimmed hat graces the label of the semi-sweet pink concoction, evoking a lifetime of memories made floating through antique shops filled with vintage furs and couture fashions. 

Drink in the bold, light scent and you're reminded of an era when women showed up to evening events powdered, perfumed and dressed to the nines.  The taste - sweet, but not sugary.  She is a woman who knows what she wants and--even better--knows how to get it.  The precious pink dwells on your palate reminding you that prohibition wasn't merely an era: It was a lifestyle.  At first bold to the point of near tart, she decides to settle into the unsurety of the Forgotten Era, resting like roses left by Hemingway on the doorstep of a beloved who long ago moved on to another.  Finally swallowed, Pink Lady lingers on the tongue like sweet memories of days gone by. 

Fear not! Pink Lady is far from liquid ennui.  It is a pleasant jolt to the senses - a reminder that terrior is as much history as geography and that the history, once uncorked, becomes a part of the drinker's own autobiography in the making.