Friends find winery is just fine

 Laurita Winery covers 250 acres in the New Egypt section of Plumsted. Friends Ray Shea (l) and Randy Johnson built the facility and are excited about its future. 
 
Skip the trip to a Napa Valley winery in California and instead head to the newly opened Laurita Winery in New Egypt, Plumsted, for a unique experience that offers more than wine tasting.

The grand opening of the winery was Sept. 20 and showcased the three floors of the winery that total 20,000 square feet. The structure includes two wine tasting bars, a retail store, a cheese bar and a gift shop, as well as the production operation.

The winery is nestled in a natural setting that invites visitors to return again and again not only for its wine, but for its hiking and horse trails, wildlife habitats that include Audubon Society certification, quiet ponds and even a plaza decorated by murals.

The owners are longtime friends Randy Johnson, a Jackson building contractor and Jackson native, and Ray Shea, an attorney and resident of Farmingdale. "Laurita" is the combination of the first name of Johnson's mother, Laura, and Shea's mother, Rita.

 
 
 
"We want Laurita Winery to be more than a place to stop for a glass of wine," Shea said. "We want it to be a destination."

According to Johnson, in 1990 the partners bought about 300 acres that had been the Wexlow and the Emery dairy farms in the 1880s. The land was slated for residential development and a golf course.

Eventually some of the land was sold to neighboring farmers and development rights were sold to the New Jersey farmland preservation program. The winery was built on a 250-acre parcel with sloping hills that are perfect for growing grapes.

"We didn't expect to build so big," Johnson said. "It was the recycling of two large 150-year-old barns, one from Manalapan and one from Cream Ridge, and merging them as the foundation for the winery that made the project bigger."

In 1998, the wine growing part of the project, he said, began with the planting of 20 acres consisting of Chardonnay, Cabernet and Merlot cuttings. In 2002, another 20 acres were planted with Pinot Gris, Lemberger, Chambourcin, Norton and Zweigelt. Merlot and Chardonnay were harvested and bottled in 2003.

 
Johnson said the 36,000 vines now under cultivation were handplanted and were purchased in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Nine varietals and eight blends comprise the current 17 Laurita wines.

This year's production is about 6,000 cases, with a goal of 14,000 cases per year. The hot, dry year and the high sugar content hints at a great 2008 vintage, he said.

"Our current two best-selling white wines are Pinot Gris and Chardonnay Classic," said Johnson. "Chambourcin and Norton, an organically cultivated wine, are the best selling reds. My personal favorite is the Merlot."

While it was not part of the original plan, Laurita Winery is on its way to being certified as an ecofriendly facility by the U.S. Green Building Council.

"I estimate that about 60 percent of Laurita Winery is made from recycled or salvaged material," Johnson said. "In addition to the barns, our elevator comes from the former Warren Hotel in Spring Lake, the bricks are from a Trenton elementary school, and some of our lighting features come from a convent."

He said the parking lot is paved with recycled asphalt and concrete, while solar panels provide heating and cooling in the warmer months and are a supplemental energy source in the colder months. Energy efficient insulation and water conservation are also included in the "greening" process.

"Randy and I built a place that we would like and thought others would, too," Shea said. "We are in the business of making wine, but we are also all about people. I want people to feel that Laurita Winery is theirs and not only mine or Randy's."

Shea said the neighbors and Plumsted officials have been most welcoming and helpful.

"We couldn't do all this without such cooperation and the dedication of our volunteers and family members who help run Laurita Winery," he said. "We are grateful to all of them."

Future plans at the winery include dismantling and reconstructing an old church the partners bought and will place on the site.

"The church will be another quiet place for visitors," Shea said. "The whole process of the winery and the vineyards has been a joy. I believe the best is yet to come."

To celebrate the upcoming holiday season, a concert at the winery will feature the 30-piece Atlantic Brass Band on Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 and a light lunch, cheeses and wine will be available for purchase.

The 250-acre winery complex also includes the Dancer Farm Bed and Breakfast, the Laurita Equestrian Center and the Reindancer Therapeutic Riding Center.

Laurita Winery, the first winery in Ocean County, is an estate winery with all aspects of wine production done on site. Its wines are sold only at the winery and at wine festivals.

The hours for visiting Laurita Winery, 35 Archertown Road, New Egypt, are Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The winery and its free vineyard tour expect to be open throughout the winter.