Ventimiglia Vineyard

Ventimiglia Vineyard: A Family Winery in Wantage

The first vines went into the ground here in 2002, and the family began professional winemaking in 2006 once the federal permit and New Jersey winery license were in hand. Ventimiglia Vineyard sits on a 50-acre farm along Layton Road, and it stays the kind of small winery in Wantage NJ where the person pouring your glass usually grew the grapes too. Gene and Anne Ventimiglia own the place, and their son Anthony works as the full-time winemaker. The family traces its craft back to Eugenio Ventimiglia, who carried the tradition to the United States generations ago, so what fills your glass is the current chapter of a long story.

How the Wine Gets Made

Everything is small-batch and hand-crafted. Anthony works with carefully chosen grapes, ages the wines in oak barrels, and keeps the intervention minimal, the artisanal approach you would hope for from a place producing only around 1,000 cases a year. The vineyard grows a wide range of varieties across its acreage, from Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin to Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc, so a tasting flight moves through reds, whites, and a few grapes you will not find at every North Jersey winery. Because the batches stay small, the lineup shifts from season to season, and a bottle you loved one year might be gone the next. We always tell first-timers to come curious and ask questions, because the answers here come straight from the family.

Picnics, Trails, and the Farm

Part of what makes a Ventimiglia afternoon so easy is that nobody rushes you out. Pack a picnic or order from Annabel’s, a local favorite, then claim one of the outdoor tables and let the hours stretch. The property also keeps hiking trails open to visitors, so you can walk off a tasting with a loop through the fields and woods. It is a genuinely relaxing stop, and a good pairing with a bigger day out toward High Point State Park or a fall drive through Sussex County wine country.

Planning Your Visit

Ventimiglia Vineyard runs open tastings on weekends, generally Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with the season starting in spring. Because the schedule shifts with the calendar and the weather, check the winery’s own site before you drive out. The setting stays low-key, with none of the crowds you hit at a big commercial tasting bar. You will find it in Wantage, an easy trip from Sussex Borough and the surrounding Sussex County towns.