Wine Hobby Becomes Business Model

Filed in archive Wine Rooms/Bars on April 14, 2007

When we think of wine tasting rooms, we usually envision a wood-paneled building settled in the middle of a vineyard. But, some lovers like to think outside the box when it comes to creating wine making businesses, and that include this cool group of guys who came up with their own twist on the wine room.

From The Wine Room in Manalapan is made for amateur vintners:

Campisi always maintained a personal interest in wine making, having learned how to do it from his grandfather. He would make it at home and traveled to the California vineyards to improve his skills.

In 2001, he left his job as a purchaser for The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and opened The Wine Room, choosing part of an old converted medical complex on Route 33 as the location because it's close to his millstone Township home.

This year, customers made about 300 barrels of wine. And the wine-making facility expanded from 4,200 square feet to 6,300 square feet.

Each year, Campisi, 51, kicks off the season in August with a wine-tasting party that gives customers an opportunity to select the wine they'd like to make. Campisi said there are a number of varieties of reds, whites and dessert wines.

Refrigerated trucks deliver the select grapes from California starting in mid-September. Campisi contacts the customers, who visit and use wine-making equipment to destem the grapes.

The customers return about seven days later to press the grapes. The juice is pumped into barrels and sealed for about eight months, said Campisi.

The winemakers return in June through August to bottle, cork and cap the wine as well as to attach personal labels.