NJ Musings: Saddling Up on a Saturday at Saddlehill Winery and Vineyards
Serenity and beauty in a long-dormant Camden County spot.
For as long as I’ve lived in the South Jersey area, and it’s been quite a long time at this point, Stafford Farm as it had been known, has been a bit of a mystery. Never a visibly active farm and situated at the intersection of one of the most highly trafficked intersections in the area, the expansive property seemed to just sitting there dormant, ready to be scooped by a developed and turned into something no one around here wants or needs: more “luxury” apartments or new retail. From time to time, you would see a horse or two trotting around the horse track, a surveyor taking measurements, or someone walking the property. No visible farming, no visible activity, no real signs of life.
The history of this property goes back a long way. In the late 1700s, George Washington gave (transferred, bestowed? Not sure of the proper term) this 70-acre parcel of land to one of his most loyal guards, Lieutenant John Stafford, and the property remained in the Stafford family for centuries. A working farm on-and-off over the years, in 2003 it was deemed to be a preservation site by the Land Trust of New Jersey, forever protecting the property as farm land*.
So when in the spring of 2021, the most accurate ear-to-the-ground sources of local information - of course I am taking about the neighborhood Facebook pages - started buzzing that the property had been sold, curiosity about what was going to happen hit a high pitch. Who had bought it? Was is going to be a new mall? Was it going to be apartments? Was it going to be a new racetrack? Everyone was imagining what this historic and enormous one-of-the-last-standing pieces of open space would be turned into.
What happened next was three years of building anticipation being sparked when it was announced that the new owners of the property had no intention of developing it, but had every intention of turning it back into a working farm, a winery, and a farm-to-table culinary destination. Little by little over the three years, progress was fast and easy to watch from the heavily-travelled roads that bordered the property. Old structures came down, new structures went up, certain areas were cleared, certain areas were planted, the horse track was preserved, and before the neighbors knew it, Saddlehill Winery and Vineyards had announced an opening day: April 10, 2024.
Not being able to contain my curiosity any long, I made a lunch reservation for an afternoon in early May, eager to check out the space, the ambiance, the food, and of course the wines. Although it was a bit chilly, I opted for an outdoor table. There are multiple seating area options, which is nice. There is a beautiful indoor tasting room and dining room (that I didn’t take pics of because they were both full and I didn’t want to disturb anyone’s lunch or tasting), a traditional outdoor seating area that surrounds the restaurant (complete with ceiling-set heaters and ceiling fans to accommodate finicky weather), and a picnic table area for a more laid-back visit. All the outdoor space has a great view of the property, even though you can see some traffic on the bordering roads if you look for it. The inside also has a smaller private dining room for bigger dinners and special events.
The food was great. I had the pastrami-style wings, which were dry-rubbed with pastrami spices and fried to a perfect crisp. My friend ordered the Cowboy burger, which was hearty, juicy, and delicious. We shared the house potato chips which they should consider bagging and selling.
We both chose wine flights. You can choose your own, or they have conveniently selected flights focused on white, red, or a combination. I chose my own wines and was really pleased with all of them. I don’t always care for New Jersey wines. There, I said it. We are lucky in New Jersey to have a vibrant and busting wine growing industry, and each year they get better and better. All four wines I chose were wines I would order again, especially the Cabernet.
There is so much to see at this property, I only scratched the surface, and I will be sure to return. There is the tasting room, the inside dining room, the cute retail store, the “coming soon” tours of the winemaking process and grounds, the picnic tables, the stables, and the animals and horses. There seems to be so much life at this new South Jersey destination, and I can’t wait to go back.
Even the neighborhood Facebook pages seem happy.
*This post has really compressed the history of the farm. A quick Google search of Stafford Farm in Voorhees, NJ will deliver many articles that can be read about the history, the dormancy, and the new owners.
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