Wineries and a brewery, without a long drive

The Cape May peninsula is small, which is why a winery afternoon works from The Delford or Fern. You are not crossing the state. You are driving twenty or thirty minutes, tasting, and coming home to cook or to sit on the deck.

Three wineries are the ones to know by name. Cape May Winery & Vineyard, Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery, and Willow Creek Winery have all been part of the local wine trail for years. Tastings on a summer Saturday book up. Call or check their sites the day before, especially if you want a table outside. Menus and hours move with the season. If a tasting room has changed hands or shortened its week, the phone will tell you faster than this page will.

Cape May Brewing Company, over in the Rio Grande area, is the brewery stop. It is an easy add to a winery loop or a thing of its own if half the group does not want wine. The tasting room is casual. Check whether the kitchen is open that day.

The listing for The Delford also mentions distilleries nearby. The peninsula has them. Names and tasting rooms change often enough that this page does not pin one. Search the week you are here, and do not plan a night of driving between them. One or two stops is a good afternoon. Three is a designated driver and a later dinner than you wanted.

A few rules we actually mean. Someone stays sober enough to drive the bay roads after dark. The houses are residential. Come back quiet. Quiet hours at The Delford are 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. At Fern they are 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

If you would rather not go out, both kitchens are equipped, both yards have a grill, and Fern has a firepit. One night in is the right balance with one afternoon out. For the restaurants worth leaving the house for, see where to eat.