New Jersey wine
Wine production in the U.S. state of New Jersey dates back to the region's colonial era when, in the mid-18th century, wines were made by local vitners on a small scale. The state's first formal vineyard, Renault Winery, was opened in 1864 in southern Atlantic County and remains one of the oldest continuously-operated wineries in the United States. Owing to state laws limiting the number of wineries allowed to open, New Jersey wine production remained small until 1981, when laws were relaxed and newer vineyards were created. Today, approximately nineteen wineries exist in eight of the state's twenty-one counties. Most are family operated and are predominantly located in the state's hilly northwestern region as well its sandy flat southern plain. Together they make an estimated 1 million gallons of wine per year, making New Jersey the nation's fifth-largest wine-producing state.[1]