4,000 Flock to Fosterfield's Festival

Offer wine sampling from 18 wineries, live music and food at an idyllic location and what you end up with is the Grand Harvest Wine Festival, hosted by the Garden State Wine Growers Association at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm.

More than 4,000 came over the course of the two day event, held noon to 5 p.m. each day, and customers 21 and over had the chance to sample from a variety of more than 250 wines. The choices ranged from seasonal fruit wines, like apple, blueberry and cranberry to European-style crafted Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc and Chardonnay.

“We were thrilled with the great turnout over the weekend,” said Festival Director Kathy Bullock. “Our Grand Harvest Festival is turning into one of our best events.”

Wineries participating in the event represented wine growing regions throughout the state, including many from Atlantic County,Gloucester County, Hunterdon, Mercer and Sussex Counties.

Family friendly entertainment included sand art, face painting and balloon characters in the Kids Zone, and live music was provided Saturday by the SteppingStone Band and Sunday by Funktion.

The GSWGA hosts six outdoor and one indoor Festival each year.  The Cape May Wine Festival, scheduled for next weekend at the Cape May Lewes Ferry Terminal, is the final Festival of the year.

Fosterfields is a real working farm, using the tools, techniques, and materials of a late 19th Century farm. The farm was once owned by General Joseph Warren Revere, grandson of Paul Revere.  Wishing to preserve her beloved home and give future generations the chance to experience the sights, smells, and sounds of rural life, Caroline Foster in 1979 bequeathed Fosterfields to the Morris County Park Commission, to be preserved as a "living historical farm," the first in New Jersey. She lived 98 of her 102 years at Fosterfields.