Wine, Food Trucks and a Cannon: Jennifer’s Fall Love Letter to Laurita

Fall in love with Laurita. Yes, I went there. And yes, I mean it.

If you’re looking for a New Jersey fall day that involves more than walking through a parking lot holding an overpriced coffee, let me put you onto Laurita Winery in New Egypt.

Gorgeous scenery. Wine. Food trucks. Room to settle in with your people. The kind of place where “we’ll just stop by” turns into your entire afternoon.

I call it an adult playground. Not because you need a complicated itinerary. Because you can actually enjoy yourself without one.

Cover: the winery and its lawn, photographed by Jennifer Nangano. The wide cover is framed from her original photo; no AI imagery or retouching. All visit photos courtesy of Jennifer Nangano / @foodaholicnj.

This Is a Day Out, Not a Quick Wine Stop

What got me was the whole setting. The vineyard rows, the big lawn, the rustic building, the little places that make you stop and say, “Okay, we need a picture here.”

You do not have to turn it into a wine exam. Nobody in your group needs to deliver a speech about oak, tannins or whatever they heard on a podcast.

Come for the atmosphere. Sip and sample. Find something you like. Bring a bottle home if you want the afternoon to follow you back to your kitchen.

Wine, Food Trucks and Absolutely No Need to Rush

Laurita’s fall food-truck and music weekends are the draw: grab something to eat, browse vendors, listen to the music and settle into the season.

My advice? Go with people who understand that lunch can be an activity. This is not the outing for the friend who checks the clock every eight minutes.

And the wine? Try what interests you rather than ordering whatever sounds most impressive. The bottle you actually enjoy is the right bottle.

Pumpkins, Cannons and a Little Fall Fun

And then there’s the fall fun over at nearby Dancer Farm: pumpkin picking, apple and pumpkin cannons, and a very good reason to let your inner kid take over for a little while.

Wine, food trucks, vineyard views and a little farm-side adventure? That’s a fall afternoon with range. You can keep it relaxed, make it a family outing or turn it into the kind of day your group chat will still be talking about next week.

And yes, I had to grab a picture of the Candy Cannon. Because a day out that comes with a photo like this is clearly not your usual Saturday errands.

Put These Fall Weekends on the Calendar

The fall 2026 Laurita flyer Jennifer photographed lists food-truck and music festival weekends through November. After October 11, the listed dates are:

• October 17 & 18
• October 24 & 25
• November 7 & 8
• November 21 & 22

Notice the gaps: this is not every weekend through November. The flyer also lists October 3–4 and October 10–11, which are the opening weekends, not extra future options.

Use the official Laurita website for the ticket link, that weekend’s hours, lineup, admission and weather updates. Food, wine and farm activities should not be assumed to be included in admission.

For Our Crowd: Make the Day Comfortable

Gather the friends. Bring the family if that is your kind of outing. Or make it a two-person escape from the usual Saturday errands.

A few practical moves make this better:

• Wear shoes you can walk in. The vineyard and lawn are part of the appeal; they are also outdoor ground, not a shopping-mall floor.
• Bring a layer. A sunny afternoon and a late-fall evening are two different outfits.
• Sort out the ride home before the first pour. Wine tasting is more relaxing when nobody is doing last-minute driving math.
• Check seating and accessibility ahead. If someone needs a firm path, fewer steps or a guaranteed seat, ask the venue about the specific event rather than guessing from a photograph.
• Read the event rules. Check what you can bring and the day’s family and pet policies before packing.

My Verdict: Save This One for Your Fall Group Chat

Laurita is one of those places where the experience is the point.

You come for a glass of wine. You stay for the setting, the food, the wandering and the feeling that you actually did something with your day besides answer messages.

Already been? Consider this your sign to return. Never been? Send this to the friend you would bring.

Because fall in New Jersey? This is how you do it.

If You Go

Laurita Winery: 85 Archertown Road, New Egypt, NJ 08533. Start with lauritawinery.com for the current event calendar and tickets.

Dancer Farm: 17 Archertown Road, New Egypt, NJ. Check dancerfarmnj.com separately for pumpkin picking, cannons and farm events.

Visitor details checked October 11, 2026, against Jennifer’s photographed fall 2026 flyer, Laurita’s official event listings and Dancer Farm’s official website. Event details and outdoor activities can change; confirm before traveling.

About Jennifer Nangano

Jennifer Nangano is the voice behind @foodaholicnj, one of New Jersey’s biggest food and local-experience accounts. A longtime Central Jersey resident from Freehold, Jennifer covers the restaurants, openings, neighborhood spots and worth-the-drive experiences that people actually talk about.

Her approach is simple: real places, honest reactions, no snob math. If she is excited about something, you will know it.