Looking for an enjoyable and productive pastime? Try making your own wine. An increasing number of places around New Jersey are offering sessions that let you sip, socialize, and save money.
Of course, making wine isn’t something you do in a day — at The Wine Room in Manalapan, for example, the process begins by tasting wines and deciding what you’d like to make. Between late September and mid-November is the crushing process; eight months later, you can bottle it, cork it, and take it home. Other outlets have a simplified process that takes between 6 to 8 weeks using pre-pressed juices.
Ultimately, the fun of the process may be its biggest appeal. “People come in with their friends, or they meet new ones and just hang out, eat, and talk to each other while they make wine,” Michael Campisi of The Wine Room told the Asbury Park Press. “It’s a great experience, and everybody’s sharing information and trying each other’s wine.”
Read more about making your own wine and where to do it on the Asbury Park Press.