Ep. 073 Jim Quarella Bellview Winery

📄 Show Summary

In this conversation, I sit down with Jim Quarella from Bellview Winery, where we explore 25 years of New Jersey wine, family legacy, and what it means to grow something from the ground up — literally. From vegetable farming to vinifera, from two acres at age 16 to over 20 wine grape varieties today, Jim walks through the real work behind wine — the land, the weather, the humility required, and the joy of seeing a guest’s face light up during that first taste. We talk values, vintage variation, new hybrid varieties, and why wine is more than a drink — it’s connection.

We explore:

• The journey from family farm (est. 1914) to winery (est. 2000)

• Family & quality as the core values driving Bellview

• Growing over 20 grape varieties — and why experimentation matters

• Sustainability & disease-resistant genetics for the future of wine

• Vintage variation, palate evolution, and why spitting matters at tastings

• Why wine is community, story, and shared table — not pretension

• The New Jersey wine scene: progress, camaraderie & sustainability