Old World Roots
New World Branches
Today, modern Italian & Greek winemakers are the heirs of Old World wisdom and its secrets of good wine. However it’s not the technicality of winemaking that wins peoples' hearts, but the reverence for winemaking as an art.
The pride poured into each Hopewell Valley Vineyards' wine is palpable. Sergio Neri, master vintner of the vineyard, draws upon a family winemaking tradition that extends back for generations. For many years, the Neri family owned a vineyard and winery in the renowned Brunello di Montalcino region, and still today have vineyards in Tuscany located in the Chianti Classico region between Florence and Sienna.
Hailing from Macedonia in northern Greece, Violetta Neri also has wine in her blood, but in this unique case, from the women in her family. Violetta’s grandmother, Evanthia (which fittingly comes from the word "blossom" in Greek) made an archaic Greek varietal of white wine that was indigenous to the region. She stored her wine in big barrels in the cellar of their village home that the family happily shared and enjoyed throughout the year. Evanthia’s craft and love for wine was passed down to her daughter, Evthokia and then to her granddaughter, Violetta…
Given such wine-drenched heritage, the Neris endeavor to share their authentic wines with New Jersey. For them, opening a bottle of Hopewell Valley Vineyards wine uncorks the past, present and future of fine wine. It’s the natural evolution, the next generation, the next permutation of excellent winemaking tradition.
Hopewell Valley Vineyards is a local gem New Jersey can be proud of. Blending Old World flair with New World style, the Neri family brings three generations of Tuscan winemaking experience to the beautiful Hopewell Valley. Our finely-crafted wines have dependably returned with medals from hundreds of local, national and international wine competitions.
Our most recent award news is from this year's Finger Lakes Wine Competition, where of the 17 HVV wines submitted, 16 were selected as winners amongst 3,200 wines from 22 countries. Other highlights include the prestigious New Jersey Governor’s Cup for our 2006 Chambourcin, and best-in-class awards on international scale, including our popular 2009 Merlot which scored 92 at the Los Angeles Wine and Spirits Competition.
New Jersey was once an unknown underdog in the world of wine, but things have dramatically changed over the past 40 years. Thanks to top quality wine production at leading NJ wineries from across the state, our own Garden State is staking out a new and impressive reputation as one of America’s top wine regions, already ranked 5th in the nation for wine volume produced. Hopewell Valley Vineyards wins against hefty competition of international scale, while colleagues from other NJ wineries are also gaining recognition from beyond state borders. All this new attention is positive reinforcement to the momentous strength of our industry’s future.
Thankfully, our NJ government body has recently begun seeing the potential of our fledgling industry and has taken legal measures to protect and promote our positive growth. With such support, New Jersey can reach a place of even higher international competitiveness and stature.
New Jersy’s support for local wine is absolutely critical to the growth of the state’s viticultural industry. So where we stand today is on the shouolders of our enthusiastic and loyal NJ followers. Whether you’re a self proclaimed ‘locavore’ or just enjoy good quality wines, we thank you for making this industry what it is today!
Hopewell Valley Vineyards offers something very different: a new approach to American wine culture. One that encompasses not only excellent quality wine, but also hospitality, friendship, music and happy memories in the making.
We strive to continuously polish that local “gem”, one that all New Jerseyeans can be proud of.