Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery
Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery is owned and operated by husband and wife Todd & Kenna Wuerker.
The farmland has been in the Wuerker family since the 1940s when Todd’s grandfather emigrated from Germany to start a family in Cape May County. Though the landscape has changed through the years, from cattle to vegetables to vinifera, there is a dedication to quality and a passion for excellence that has been as constant as the namesake hawks that soar overhead.
Todd + Kenna
Together, Todd and Kenna are the perfect team for running a successful vineyard and winery, with Todd in charge of the vineyard, wine making and property maintenance and Kenna handling the business operations including marketing, finances, event planning, and merchandising. They began their work to open the winery in August of 2006 and established Hawk Haven Vineyard LLC by May 2008, opening the tasting room just one year later. Their first vintage was in 2007 and consisted of the American Kestrel White (an unoaked Chardonnay), Red Table Wine, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Today they have over sixteen acres under vine with as many different varietals. All of the estate grapes are harvested, pressed, fermented, aged, blended, and bottled on site. The Hawk Haven wine label was created by a team of artists and is designed not only to represent the winery’s namesake but also the yin and yang of Todd and Kenna’s relationship.
The Winemaker's Co-Op
In the Fall of 2018, Hawk Haven joined The Winemaker’s Co-Op of New Jersey, the first winery to be invited since its inception. The organization was created by a group of likeminded growers and winemakers to promote the fine wine movement in the Garden State. The goal is to highlight and encourage premium New Jersey wine production with exclusive events, press outreach, industry investment and education. We wholeheartedly support the slogan, No Farmers, No Wine.
The future is Bubbly...
Todd has had his heart set on being a main player in sparkling wine production for quite some time. Sparkling wines are a true labor of love, from the time-intensive practices of Méthode Champenoise, to the risks of Méthode Ancestrale, these are truly celebratory wines. In 2019 we released our first round of Pét-Nats, shortly followed by our 2017 Brut, Blanc de Blanc and Blanc de Noir sparkling wines. Todd and his team are working on a number of exciting new projects in the winery, always striving to push themselves and think outside of the box.
...and Bright!
The past several years have been a period of reflection and adaptation. For the last decade Kenna and her team have focused on creating an intimate experience for our customers here at the farm. From Club Member events to our Rootstock Concert Series and more, we’ve loved hosting our patrons and sharing our space. We have been challenged to be more creative than ever before. Putting our heads together, we are working on continuing to create engaging experiences for our patrons and friends. Todd and Kenna are bringing back some treasured events of past years, including The AJ Meerwald Wine Cruise, the 5k Vineyard Race and the October Wine & Music Festival.
We’ve been working on our shipping permits, and can now ship to 40+ states! With our new shipping capabilities we can continue to share all things Hawk Haven with our community, near and far. The future is uncertain in so many ways, but we have high hopes and a team of passionate, determined individuals working to craft delicious wines and creative ways to share them with you!