Special “Atlanta” label Hambletonian wine available

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – In celebration of the 94th edition of America's greatest harness race, the Hambletonian Society, Meadowlands Racetrack and Tomasello Winery have again teamed up to provide fans and guests with two special limited edition wine selections.

The $1 million Hambletonian will be raced Saturday afternoon, Aug. 3 as the finale to the championship meet at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Post time is 12 noon.

Labeled “The Hambletonian at the Meadowlands”, the Hammonton-based winery (the second-oldest active in the Garden State) will produce a Pinot Grigio and a Pinot Noir exclusively for Saturday's edition that will be available for purchase Friday, Aug. 2 and Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Meadowlands Racetrack.

This year’s label was created by Meadowlands Racetrack's graphic designer Kathleen Estes and is based on the Jim Lisa of track photographer LisaPhoto image of last year’s Hambletonian winner, Atlanta, in honor of her becoming the 14th filly in history to win the event and the first to accomplish the feat in 22 years.

“Folks are always looking for an alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay which seem to be still so popular after a long period of time. The truth is some of the world’s finest wine educators will tell you after tasting thousands of wines, many still find Pinot Noir to be one of the best wines in the world. Without any question this is the most difficult grape to grow in New Jersey hands down, but for people who want to explore a nice soft red wine there is nothing better,”said Tomasello Winery vice president Jack Tomasello. “Pinot Grigio is such a nice white wine for the summer and it has such a clean and crisp taste. Non-oaked, this wine goes so well with foul and fish, but can also be served with fine cheeses and spreads.”

Tomasello Winery is a fourth generation family-owned winery producing award winning wines since 1933. Tomasello is one of the largest winegrowers in New Jersey, having 70 acres of grapes under cultivation, and producing 75,000 cases of wine per year, distributing in over half of the United States and also exporting to the Pacific Rim. In addition to wines, Tomasello produces sparkling wines, hard ciders, fruit wines and ports. Tomasello Winery has 10 retail outlets thought out the Garden State and their wines are distributed by Fedway and available in over 800 retail wine stores in the state.