Commissioners celebrate largest grape harvest yet at Camden County Vineyard

For the sixth consecutive season, the Camden County Vineyard will harvest over 5,000 pounds of Chambourcin grapes. This year’s harvest will be delivered to Amalthea Cellars Farm Winery in Atco. The harvest comes at an especially crucial time for New Jersey’s agriculture industry, after severe spring frost caused an estimated $300 million in agricultural losses across the state, hitting South Jersey fruit growers especially hard.

                        “The ever-growing wine industry in Camden County continues to create new job opportunities, bring people together, and reminds us why we are known as the Garden State,” said Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. “This year’s harvest is particularly meaningful as farmers and growers across South Jersey continue to recover from a historically challenging growing season. The success of our vineyard this season in spite of those challenges further reinforces our commitment to supporting and investing in local agriculture.”

                        The Camden County Vineyard, which sits on the 10-acre Camden County Sustainability Campus, was established in 2019 as an initiative of the Board of Commissioners to support and promote the county’s growing wine industry. The one-acre vineyard transformed previously fallow open space that had once been used as a makeshift farm, giving new purpose to the property while creating an opportunity to cultivate grapes and showcase agriculture right here in Camden County.

The vineyard, which is maintained by South Jersey-based vineyard management company VineTech, produces Chambourcin grapes, which are one of the world’s most popular hybrid varieties, and is noted for its distinctive dark coloring and herbaceous aroma. Collectively over the six harvest seasons, the vineyard has produced over 30,000 pounds of grapes.

                        “Supporting local agriculture through sustainable means ensures the long-term sustainability of our region’s agricultural heritage,” said Commissioner Jonathan Young, liaison to the Office of Sustainability. “The Camden County Vineyard is a great example of how we can put our open spaces to productive use while supporting local growers, and give residents the opportunity to experience agriculture at work right here in Camden County.”

In support of New Jersey’s agricultural industry, Visit South Jersey, the official tourism nonprofit agency serving Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem counties will announce a new initiative to support New Jersey’s agriculture industry. Keep It Growin’ encourages residents to support farmers, wine growers, and agricultural producers across the state to shop for local produce, wine and other Jersey-grown products at farms, markets, and wineries.

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