This week, for our weekly wine review series, we opened up a bottle of Diamond Table Wine from Brook Hollow Winery. We first tried this wine at the NJ Wine Expo and enjoyed it enough to bring a bottle home with us. After finishing that bottle pretty quickly, we decided it was worth making another trip out to the winery to pick up another one for the wine rack.
That second bottle gave us a chance to really spend more time with the wine and get a better feel for it over a couple of evenings. Sometimes that second tasting tells you more than the first one does, especially with wines that are meant to be relaxed and easy drinking.
This turned out to be one of those bottles.
A Quick Look at the Diamond Grape
Diamond is a white hybrid grape varietal that was originally developed in New York during the late 1800s. It’s most commonly connected to the Finger Lakes region, where cooler temperatures help the grape maintain its acidity and fresh fruit character.
That cooler climate is also part of why the grape can work well in northern New Jersey, too. Areas of the state with slightly cooler growing conditions can help preserve the bright fruit flavors that make wines like this so approachable.
Diamond wines are usually known for being aromatic, fruit-forward, and easy to drink. They often land somewhere between dry and sweet, which makes them pretty versatile for casual wine drinkers and people newer to wine tasting.
This bottle from Brook Hollow Winery felt like a good example of that balance.
Revisiting Brook Hollow Winery
Every once in a while, there’s a wine that sticks in your memory after you try it at a tasting event. That’s pretty much what happened here.
We first sampled this Diamond at the NJ Wine Expo and immediately enjoyed it enough to buy a bottle on the spot. After we got home and finished it, we kept talking about it enough that another trip out to the winery felt justified.
So we headed west on Route 80 toward Columbia, New Jersey, to visit Brook Hollow Winery again and grab another bottle.
One thing I’ve always liked about visiting wineries in northwest New Jersey is how different the atmosphere feels compared to some of the busier areas of the state. Things slow down a little bit out there. Brook Hollow has a relaxed feel that makes it easy to settle in with a glass of wine and stay awhile.
That laid-back setting honestly matched this wine pretty well.
On the Nose
The nose on this wine offered more going on than I expected from a lighter semi-sweet white table wine.
Right away, we both picked up honey and lemon notes along with softer tropical fruit aromas. Pineapple and citrus came through the most for us, though the fruit notes stayed fairly subtle overall rather than jumping aggressively out of the glass.
I also picked up a slight petroleum note on the nose that reminded me a little of what you sometimes find in certain Rieslings. My fiancé didn’t get that note at all, which just goes to show how differently people can experience the same wine.
That’s honestly one of the reasons I enjoy tasting wine with someone else. Two people can sit with the same glass and walk away with completely different impressions. Neither person is wrong, either. Wine tasting is always a little personal.
Overall, the aromas stayed balanced and easygoing. Nothing felt overpowering or too sharp.
On the Palate
The tropical fruit flavors became more noticeable once we started sipping the wine. Pineapple stood out the most to me, along with some softer tropical flavors that lingered through the finish.
What I appreciated most here was the balance between sweetness and acidity.
This wine definitely leans semi-sweet, but it never crosses into being syrupy or heavy. The acidity keeps things refreshing enough that each sip still feels clean and light. That balance made it really easy to continue drinking throughout the evening.
Sometimes sweeter white wines can feel one-dimensional after a glass or two, but this one stayed enjoyable the whole way through.
The lighter body also helped keep everything approachable. This feels like a wine that could appeal to a pretty wide range of drinkers, especially people who enjoy wines that aren’t overly dry.
Breakdown
- Wine Varietal: Diamond
- Producer: Brook Hollow Winery
- Vintage: 2021
- ABV: 12%
- Style: Semi-sweet white table wine
- Body: Light
- Acidity: Medium
Food Pairings
One thing that stood out to me while drinking this wine was how flexible it felt for food pairings.
The combination of fruit flavors, lighter body, and balanced sweetness makes it pretty easy to pair with casual foods. Chicken and seafood would probably be the easiest starting points, especially grilled chicken or lighter seafood dishes.
It would also work well alongside pizza, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, and milder cheeses. This feels like the kind of bottle you could open during a relaxed weekend gathering without needing to overthink the food situation too much.
Because of the sweeter fruit notes, I could also see this pairing nicely with fruit-based desserts or lighter pastries. Honestly, though, this was also perfectly enjoyable on its own without any food involved.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad we decided to revisit this bottle after first trying it at the NJ Wine Expo. Sometimes wines taste great in a crowded tasting environment, but don’t hold up as well once you sit down with a full bottle at home. This wasn’t the case here.
The Diamond Table Wine from Brook Hollow Winery stayed balanced, approachable, and easy drinking from the first glass to the last.
If you find yourself heading through northwest New Jersey wine country, I’d definitely recommend stopping by and giving this one a try for yourself. Grab a glass, sit outside on the veranda, listen to some live music, and take your time with it.
This was just a simple, enjoyable bottle that reminded me why some wines are worth going back for a second time.
