Freeholders Laud State Initiatives on County Wine Industry

COURT HOUSE – Cape May County Freeholders applaud legislation by the State of New Jersey to establish a marketing and advertising campaign for state wineries and viticulture attractions. Wineries in Cape May County have been a meaningful economic contributor and tourism driver in recent years. Legislation recently signed by Gov. Phil Murphy should help build on those advancements.
According to a release, four years ago, Cape May County Freeholder Will Morey, County Planning staff, and a group of area wineries worked to establish approximately 126,635 acres to be designated as the “Cape May Peninsula” wine region, in portions of Cape May and Cumberland Counties. This designation allows wineries in the region to market their wines under the unique Cape May Peninsula brand. As wineries in the region have become well-known regionally and nationally, the branding helps them stand out.
“The growth of the wineries in Cape May County has had an important impact on our economy,” stated Morey. “They have created more year-round jobs and increased seasonal employment. It is great that the governor appreciates the benefits of marketing the state’s growing wine industry, which will benefit many of our local businesses.”
The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Bob Andrzejczak (D-1st), among others. It will help tourism in Cape May County as the wineries have created additional year-round attractions locally. The wineries also host private parties including weddings, which bring people to stay in rooms, eat at local restaurants, and more.
“We want to thank Sen. Andrzejczak for his support of this bill,” stated Freeholder E. Marie Hayes. “Our tourism department has been active in promoting our wineries in our advertising and at the travel shows, we visit every winter. Visitors have demonstrated keen interest in this information, and it shows by the growing number of visitors to our wineries each year.”
The tourism department visits about a dozen travel shows each year from Canada to Washington D.C. A brochure that includes all the wineries, breweries, and distillers includes information on how to visit them. The advertising campaign for the county also includes a component about the wineries, which includes billboards, online display ads, print, and radio.