New Jersey’s wineries were able to reopen on Monday as part of the post-COVID-19 Phase 2 reopening plan.

For New Jersey residents stuck at home for the past three months, this came as pleasant news.

“Got an email as soon as it was announced that they were opening up on June 15 and I said, ‘You know what? I’m getting the first reservation,” says Ray Markey, of Haddon Heights.

Sharrott Winery in Hammonton opened Monday afternoon with a redesigned, socially-distant patio and lawn. Meredith Miller and Lea Grungo, of Stratford, were out on the patio enjoying the scenery.

“Literally a breath of fresh air. It’s very peaceful, very serene,” says Miller.

Owner Larry Sharrot says that he has missed his customers and is happy to be reopened.

“We miss seeing all of our regulars. Some of them come every weekend, so we miss them and we’re happy to be able to be a place where people can come and kind of enjoy themselves again and do it in a safe way,” he says.

Down the road, White Horse Winery was also operating in a similar manner – with spaced-out tables and sanitization between guests. Customers also had to make reservations.

“I think the one thing that we are telling everyone is that this is going to be a learning process,” say co-owner Brock Vinton II. “We took way more precautions than what we needed to, but that’s just really for everybody’s peace of mind.”

Many of the customers said that they felt safe being out in public, and that they weren’t too worried about the potential of contracting the virus.