Four Sisters, Two Bries, and Infinite Bottles of Wine

Four Sisters Winery is the perfect blend of booze and beauty. Dating back to their opening in 1984, this unique vineyard has flourished in the hands of the Matarazzo family. Starting as a vegetable farm, Matty and his wife Laurie began the business as a way to raise money for their children’s college tuition. The business grew more than they anticipated and even became a popular wedding venue. Given the opportunity for a short road trip, we just had to check it out!

Four Sisters Winery Location

Located in the northern New Jersey area, Four Sisters Winery is on the cusp of the NJ/PA border. With spacious farmlands and surrounding mountains, the winery sits quietly in the town of Belvidere. To give you an idea of what this area is like, it has a population of just under 3,000 people, with the winery named as one of its biggest attractions. Despite its size, the town has a lot to offer in a visual sense. No matter the season, the beautiful scenery sets a great picture for a vineyard landscape, making it the ideal destination to check out while in the area.

Experience

In our opinion, Four Sisters Winery was truly a gem to experience. Additionally, we are very glad we visited when we did as we learned that the winery is being sold and will be under new ownership early this year. Fortunately, we learned a lot of first-hand information from our server, Michelle, who has been with the family for quite some time. In fact, she told us that she first came across this winery as a venue for her own wedding. She was even the first wedding to take place on the recently built out patio. Michelle was very knowledgeable in the history of the winery as well as all of the wines we tasted, which we will share with you below.

Must Bring List:

• BRIE WHEEL
• Your favorite wine pairing snacks
• A bottle opener (they do sell them in the store as well)

Drink List

Since we visited the winery during their 36 year anniversary, we received a tasting of 12 wines. The wines included in our tasting as well as the descriptions they provided are as follows:

1. Proprietor’s Red Reserve: Dry Red
   • A blend of our estate grown Corot Noir and Leon Millot grapes, this full-bodied red will be the perfect pairing for steaks and other hearty dishes.
2. Chambourcin: Dry Red
   • Vibrant in color, soft mouth feel and an impressive fruit expression.
3. Papa’s Red: Dry Red
   • A blend resulting in a sun-dried raisin bouquet with a lingering Chianti-like finish. Primarily Baco Noir grapes.
4. Baco Noir: Dry Red
   • 100% Baco Noir grape with hints of blackberry with soft mouth feel. It’s a great wine for aging.
5. Proprietor’s White Reserve: Dry White
   • A blend of our La Crescent and Seyval Blanc grapes, this aromatic wine opens with tropical fruit and floral aromas.
6. Seyval Blanc: Dry White
   • A well balanced dry white wine with a lingering hint of a tangy fruit on the back of your tongue, An excellent compliment to grilled pork chops.
7. Merrill Blush
   • A semi-dry blend of hybrid & Native American grapes creating it’s blush color. All-occasion wine.
8. Filomena: Sweet
   • Our sweetest wine, the Filomena is a blend of native grapes and offers a wonderful complement to tart cheeses, turkey sandwiches, and warm summer nights. Named after Matty’s grandmother.
9. Beaver Creek Red: Sweet Red
   • Foxy with candy apple-like flavor. Made from the Native American, Concord grapes.
10. Holiday Seasoned: Sweet, Spiced Red
    • Spicy & sweet red with hints of cinnamon, clove, & nutmeg. Can be served chilled, room temperature, or warmed. Made from the Native American, Concord grape.
11. Poppa Joe: Semi-Sweet Red
    • Made with estate-grown Frontenac grapes named after Matty’s father. It’s rich in body with vibrant color and fortified with brandy.
12. Maggie’s Magic
    • Semi-dry sparkling wine named after Matty’s mother. Great for any celebration.

Drink Preferences

While all of the wines were delicious in their own respect, we are only going to highlight our favorites. We would like to note, however, that all of these wines tend to favor a sweeter side. Our four favorite wines were the Proprietor’s Red Reserve, Holiday Seasoned, Proprietor’s White Reserve, and Filomena. Each of these wines had a distinct flavor that stood out, but was not overwhelming. We loved these flavors so much, that we bought a bottle of each to take home.

Although we loved all the wines, one wine in particular stood apart from the rest in superiority: Holiday Seasoned. When we first had this wine during the tasting, it was served room temperature (although it was quite cold outside, so it did have a bit of “chill” to it). The wine was good, but it was nothing special and received an average rating. However, as the day went on and we started purchasing bottles and individual glasses, we decided to try a glass of the Holiday Seasoned warmed. Oh my, it was life changing. Warming the wine changed the entire makeup of the wine as each of the individual flavors was released in a perfect melody of spicy and sweet.

Per Michelle’s recommendation, we bought a few bottles of Holiday Seasoned and warmed them up in the crockpot at home. In addition to creating a flavorful drink, the aromas from the crockpot permeated the whole house. Even if you cannot make it to the winery in person, we highly recommend placing an order online and trying out this delicious wine for yourself.

Final Thoughts of Four Sisters Winery

Between the welcoming staff and the variety of wines, Four Sisters Winery was definitely one of our favorite wineries to visit to date. We can’t wait to come back for another visit!

Be sure to check out our other winery experience at the Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery. Contact us and let us know where we should visit next.