At Saddlehill Winery and Vineyards in South Jersey, local wine, fresh food and "a hometown" feel
VOORHEES, N.J. (CBS) – Nestled on 70 acres of preserved farmland in Voorhees, Saddlehill Winery and Vineyards is one of Camden County's newest small businesses.
Bill Green is the owner.
"This is a true passion," Green said.
The entrepreneur's newest venture officially opened last month, and it's a homecoming, of sorts, for Green.
"I grew up two and a half miles away," Green said. "My wife grew up five miles away. We raised our family between Voorhees and Cherry Hill."
Inside the tasting room, Carly Key is your guide to Saddlehill's collection of 17 wines – all made on-site.
Wine is aging in nearly 350 oak barrels in a temperature-controlled room, and two sparkling wines will debut this summer.
"The New Jersey wine industry doesn't get any respect, it's way better than people think," Green said.
Back in the late 1700s, Green said, George Washington gave the acres to his personal guard, and it ran for 200 years as the Stafford Family Farm.
After the farm fell into disrepair, Green bought it in 2021.
"We rebuilt it. Everything, city sewer, city water, paved the roads, fire hydrants, anything you would do to build a little village," Green said.
It's not just a winery – but also a working farm. Alpacas, sheep and horses call it home.
Fruits and vegetables – used in the farm-to-table kitchen – are also grown there. In the farmhouse market, you can find candles made from beeswax cultivated from the hives yards away.
"It's a very big hometown feel here when you come in," Key said.
Green hopes this oasis becomes a South Jersey staple.
"This is what will most likely be my family's legacy," Green said, "and hopefully it's around for as many years as the Staffords owned the farm."
