ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION No. 107

STATE OF NEW JERSEY 216th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED MARCH 26, 2015

Sponsored by: Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland) Assemblyman ADAM J. TALIAFERRO District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem) Assemblyman VINCENT MAZZEO District 2 (Atlantic) Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE District 37 (Bergen)

Co-Sponsored by: Assemblyman DeAngelo

SYNOPSIS Designates last full week of September of each year as "New Jersey Wine Week."

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced.

(Sponsorship Updated As Of: 5/8/2015)

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1 A JOINT RESOLUTION designating the last full week of September 2 of each year as "New Jersey Wine Week." 3 4 WHEREAS, New Jersey’s excellent wines, wineries, and vineyards are 5 an important part of the State’s agricultural diversity, tourism, and 6 economy; and 7 WHEREAS, New Jersey is home to 50 licensed wineries in nearly every 8 county, cultivating over 40 varieties of grapes and producing 9 hundreds of varieties of wines across 1,082 acres of land dedicated 10 to grape production, continuing the State's long history of wine 11 making; and 12 WHEREAS, In 1758, two New Jersey residents won a challenge issued 13 by London's Royal Society of the Arts to any colonist who could 14 grow and produce red or white wine of the same caliber as that 15 being purchased from France; and 16 WHEREAS, The Renault Winery, located in Egg Harbor Township, is 17 the second oldest continuously operating wine facility in the United 18 States, harvesting more than 45 tons of grapes annually; and 19 WHEREAS, New Jersey’s three federally recognized viticultural areas, 20 including Warren Hills, the first federally-recognized viticulture 21 area, Central Delaware Valley, and newly recognized Outer Coastal 22 Plain, are all host to special geographical terrain allowing for an 23 exceptional grape harvest used in the production of wine in those 24 areas; and 25 WHEREAS, The climate, sandy soil, and long growing season of New 26 Jersey are well-suited to the development of sophisticated and 27 delicious wines, which has helped grow the wine industry and 28 create more jobs in the State; and 29 WHEREAS, In 1999, New Jersey instituted the Quality Wine Alliance 30 Program to ensure that all wines sold to consumers meet certain 31 quality standards, helping wines from a variety of New Jersey 32 vineyards win prestigious awards for taste and quality; and 33 WHEREAS, Over 1.5 million gallons of wine are produced in New 34 Jersey each year, and New Jersey is among the top 10 wine- 35 producing states in the country; and 36 WHEREAS, New Jersey's vineyards generated nearly $40 million in 37 revenue in 2013; and 38 WHEREAS, In aggregate, grape growers and the wine industry 39 contribute about $162 billion to the U.S. economy, along with 1.1 40 million jobs, which account for $33 billion in wages and $17 billion 41 in state and local tax revenues; and 42 WHEREAS, The development of New Jersey wine complements a long 43 tradition of superb produce cultivated in New Jersey, and adds 44 another facet to New Jersey’s designation as the “Garden State”; 45 and 46 WHEREAS, Wineries serve an important role in diversifying the 47 agricultural products and services offered by farms in the State and 48 are uniquely suited to cultivating growth in the State's tourism

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1 industry as hundreds of thousands of visitors attend events and 2 festivals hosted by the State's wineries annually; and 3 WHEREAS, New Jersey offers residents and visitors several unique 4 weekend wine trails developed by the Garden State Wine Growers 5 Association to encourage and promote wine tourism, share 6 information about New Jersey’s wineries, and provide an 7 opportunity to experience the award-winning wines produced in the 8 State; and 9 WHEREAS, Establishing vineyards as travel destinations for 10 educational and recreational purposes will help reach new 11 consumers and generate more revenue for New Jersey's wine 12 industry; and 13 WHEREAS, New Jersey's wines have been exciting the pallets of wine 14 connoisseurs throughout the region and consumption of these wines 15 benefits New Jersey farmers and residents and generates revenue in 16 the State; now, therefore, 17 18 BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate and General Assembly of the 19 State of New Jersey: 20 21 1. The last full week of September is designated as “New 22 Jersey Wine Week” to acknowledge the significant contributions 23 and accomplishments of the New Jersey wine industry, and the 24 people of New Jersey are urged to explore the wine culture and 25 history of this State, especially during this week. 26 27 2. The Governor shall annually issue a proclamation calling 28 upon public officials and the citizens of this State to observe "New 29 Jersey Wine Week" with appropriate activities and programs. 30 31 3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately. 32 33 34 STATEMENT 35 36 This joint resolution designates the last full week of September 37 as "New Jersey Wine Week." This joint resolution also requires the 38 Governor to annually issue a proclamation calling upon citizens of 39 this State to observe the last full week of September as "New Jersey 40 Wine Week" with appropriate activities and programs. 41 New Jersey's reputation for quality domestic wines dates back to 42 the colonial period when two New Jersey residents won a challenge 43 issued by London's Royal Society of the Arts to any colonist who 44 could grow and produce red or white wine of the same caliber as 45 popular French wines. The Renault Winery, located in Egg Harbor 46 Township, is the second oldest continuously operating wine facility 47 in the United States. Today, New Jersey produces over 1.5 million 48 gallons of wine each year, placing New Jersey among the top 10

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1 wine-producing states in the United States, and generates nearly 2 $40 million in revenue. As the climate, sandy soil, and long 3 growing season of New Jersey provide the ideal environment to 4 cultivate grapes, many of New Jersey’s wines have received 5 prestigious awards and have gained recognition for their quality. 6 New Jersey's wineries are an integral part of the State's tourism 7 industry. Hundreds of thousands of visitors attend events and 8 festivals hosted by the State's wineries annually. New Jersey offers 9 residents and visitors several unique weekend wine trails developed 10 by the Garden State Wine Growers Association where visitors can 11 enjoy the award-winning wines produced in the State. Establishing 12 vineyards as travel destinations for educational and recreational 13 purposes will help reach new consumers and generate more revenue 14 for the State's wineries and tourism industry. 15 Celebrating New Jersey’s wine industry through the observance 16 of "New Jersey Wine Week" is a pleasurable way to support the 17 State's agricultural and tourism industries and contribute to the 18 State’s economy.