3rd Annual Saint Patrick’s Celebration

When you think Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations in Cape May, the first thing that comes to mind needs to be Willow Creek Winery. So much to do, and so much fun that we can’t just celebrate it in one day.

Come to Willow Creek Winery on Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17 for our 3-day, 3rd annual Saint Patrick’s Weekend celebration.

This long weekend features Irish cultural events including dance performances from the Emerald Isle Academy of Irish Dance, local pipe and drum corps and local musicians; a local artisan open air market, Irish food specials and a full bar with Guinness, Whiskey and Irish Willow Whips, in addition to Willow Creek Winery’s renowned wines and sangrias.

This event will benefits the New Jersey Farmers Cooperative (NJFC).

Check out the full schedule of events, participating vendors, food specials and make your reservations HERE to secure your table today.

Happy Sangria Day

What better way to celebrate the day before the Winter Solstice than to honor the summery drink we enjoy all year here at Willow Creek Winery – Sangria. December 20th is National Sangria Day.

We feature a rotating blend of our exclusive red and white sangria made from great wines, sweet fruit nectars and pure pressed juices. Our sangria is available to purchase by the glass, flight or in Grolsch or Growler bottles year-round. If you buy a Grolsch or Growler you can bring the bottle back and get it refilled – making the purchase not only wallet-friendly, but also eco-friendly.

Speaking of those Growlers and Grolshes, did you know that these bottles are not just refillable, but they are collectable. Every year we change the label color. Did you pick up this year’s special Blue Label? Come in before we launch the 2024 label.

A reminder our sangria’s shelf-life is 5 days, and it needs to stay refrigerated, so come in this weekend for your Christmas celebrations.

Holiday Hours at Willow Creek Winery

These next few weeks will be a beautiful whirlwind of holiday festivities. And whether we are part of your family and friends’ must do destination or you need a little me-time break at your favorite winery, we’ve got you covered. Our halls are decked and our wine educators are serving up the holiday cheer through now through the New Year.

Week of December 18
Monday, Dec 18 – Thursday, Dec 21: 12 – 5pm
Friday, Dec 22 – Saturday, Dec 23: 11:30am – 9pm (Dinner specials beginning 4pm)
– Fire Pit Friday and Live Music with Gordon Vincent on the 22nd from 4 – 8pm
– Saturday, Dec 23 Live Music with Perry Curcio from 1 – 4pm
Sunday, Dec 24: 11:30am – 4:30pm (last seating 3pm)

Week of December 25
Monday, Dec 25: CLOSED
Tuesday, Dec 26 – Thursday, Dec 28: 12 – 7pm (Full kitchen menu offered)
Friday, Dec 29 – Saturday, Dec 30: 11:30am – 9pm (Dinner specials beginning 4pm)
– Fire Pit Friday and Live Music with Mike DiEleuterio on the 29th from 4 – 8pm
– Saturday, Dec 30 Live Music with Mark Fisher from 1 – 4pm
Sunday, Dec 31: 11:30am – 9pm
– 4 – 7pm Seating for NYE Dinner Specials + Regular menu (Dining Room closes 8:30pm)
– Tasting Room Bar will be open until 9pm to sell takeaway bottles for your NYE celebrations

Week of January 1
Monday, Jan 1: 12 – 5pm (Full menu available)
Tuesday, Jan 2 – Thursday, Jan 4: 12 – 5pm
Friday, Jan 5: 11:30am – 4pm (closing early for a Private Event)
Saturday, Jan 6: 11:30am – 9pm
Sunday, Jan 7: 11:30am – 6pm

Week of January 8
Monday, Jan 8 – Thursday, Jan 11: CLOSED FOR WINTER BREAK
Friday, Jan 12 – Saturday, Jan 13: 11:30am – 9pm
Sunday, Jan 13: 11:30am – 6pm

An Amazing Experience – Elevated

Any time spent at Willow Creek Winery is a memorable experience. Our estate and public buildings set on 50-acres with gorgeous gardens and vineyards that you can explore create the perfect backdrop to any time you spend in Cape May. This is why we have become a must-see destination in New Jersey.

We love when you make us part of your vacation itinerary. We are also grateful for the groups that come through here to celebrate bachelorettes (did you see us featured in a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article?!), birthdays, reunions and showers (just to name a few).

While a visit here to get together with friends and family will already be special, we offer a variety of exclusive a la carte and add-on packages that can be added to your reservation to enhance your experience. 

Options include:

  • pre-ordering a cheese board and sparkling wine for the table
  • adding more time to your reservation (reminder, our standard table reservation is 90 minutes)
  • renting out one of our 2 covered porches to make a private space for you for 3 hours
  • private yoga and meditation class in the vines or gardens

We have so many more options to make your time fully customized. If you are interested in enhancing a planned celebratory trip to Willow Creek, email: events@willowcreekwinerycapemay.com and someone from our Events Team will be in touch. If your event will have 25+ people, instead of email, please fill out our event inquiry form.

Cheers to a fall filled with your special moments and to celebrating them at Willow Creek Winery.

August Live Music Schedule

Yes, our giant pretzels, beautiful cheese boards and fresh salads pair perfectly with our wines and sangrias. But do you know what else does – live music!

Sitting back on our beautiful property listening to some wonderful local artists is an ideal way to send your long Cape May weekends.

This August we have a variety of performers to provide a great backdrop to your winery excursion.

August 2023
Friday, August 4 from 4 – 8pm with Matt Mass
Saturday, August 5 from 1 – 4pm with Funky Brewster
Sunday, August 6 from 1 – 4pm with Dion Paci
Saturday, August 12 from 1 – 4pm with Mike Tobin
Sunday, August 13 from 1 – 4pm with Ear Candy Duo
Friday, August 18 from 4 – 8pm with Matt Freedman
Saturday, August 19 from 1 – 4pm with Mark Fisher
Sunday, August 20 from 1 – 4pm with Mike Cali
Friday, August 25 from 4 – 8pm with John Heffren
Saturday, August 26 from 1 – 4pm with Roots in Blue Stone

Performers and performances subject to change so please be sure to check our social media sites for any updates.

If you’d like to get a jump on upcoming live entertainment scheduled – you can check out the Live Music Calendar.

Barbara’s Favorite Flowers: Cyclamen

Barbara’s Favorite Flowers: Cyclamen

Barbara’s list of favorite winter blooming flowers for Willow Creek Farm & Winery and Southern Mansion gardens includes Cyclamen. Here’s what Barbara has to say:

Several years ago, I became all atwitter about winter gardening; having flowers blooming year round even in November through February.  For several seasons in a row, we had been blessed with mild winters, and I was feeling rather pleased with my gardening prowess. Having overwintered Gloriosa Rothschildiana, and numerous Dahlias, I was confident that I was up to the task. Unfortunately my sin of superbia was about to become all too apparent when Outer Coastal Cape May was thwacked with a couple seasons of bitter, windy, wet, and cold weather. Oh well, this seasoned plantswoman is used to getting her comeuppance on occasion, and being perennially optimistic I started planting something new, and questionably hardy, as soon as I had the chance. But as brainy, is of course the new sexy, it’s really just as well, and at the very least not boring.

Many of you are familiar with the florist cyclamen (frost tender), with their brilliant hot pink, fuchsia and white reverse lipstick colored flowers, wonderful lovely dark green often heart shaped leaves delicious with white marbling. Easily attainable at the local market, we purchase and place these Cyclamen in pots as decorations inside our homes.

Each flower is on a stem coming from a growing point on the circular flat tuber of the Cyclamen. In all species, the stem is bent 150-180° at the tip, so that the nose of the flower faces downward. Flowers have five petals, are bent outwards or up, can sometimes be twisted, are connected at the base into a cup, and have five sepals behind the cup.

What I focus on here is the hardy winter bloomers such as c.coum. Cyclamen are a genus of twenty species within the family Primulaceae, which originates in the Mediterranean areas (Turkey, North Africa etc.). I had received my first hardy cyclamens from Sunshine Nurseries’ Barry Glick. There is something really fabulous about seeing a brilliant hot pink flower poking out of the dull brown ground when the skies are despondently cold and gray. I find it a tremendous pick me up in the short days of late fall and winter, especially in those deepest days right before the winter solstice. Also, it really does give you a sense of accomplishment to summon forth such a burst of happy color this time of year, whilst in the spring and summer it’s rather a tad redundant.

Covet, plant, and enjoy the Cyclamen in all their frivolous forms!

Book Now!