USA
OUR WINES
The earliest settlers in
North America did their best to make wine from indigenous grapes. The results were not particularly successful. Subsequently, efforts were made to establish European vinifera vines in the east coast states, but they suffered a similar failure. Eventually, varieties were successfully planted on the west coast of
California , but the prohibition era in the early twentieth century retarded what was the start of a healthy industry.
Today, wine is made in 46 of the 50 states of the
Union . Much is sold locally, but the wines of
California ,
Idaho ,
Missouri ,
New York, Oregon ,
Texas ,
Washington and
Virginia have become commercially important and have international distribution.
The acronym AVA stands for American Viticultural Area and, at present,
America ’s rudimentary answer to
France ’s Appellation Controllée and is broadly defined by climatic and geographical boundaries.
California
California is the most important wine producing state of the
Union and the largest source of American wine by a long chalk.
California was also for years the only source of Vitis Vinifera wines in the
USA and it is deservedly called The
Wine
State .
Californian Regions
California ’s wine regions extend for more than 600 miles. The largest region is, of course,
California itself, which will lend its name to a generic wine of the State. Important sub-regions or AVAs carrying their own individual climate and style must include;
Napa ,
Sonoma , Mendocino and
Lake of which
Napa is the most concentrated and prestigious region.
California Vine Varieties and Quality
California boasts world class wines made particularly from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel, and in recent years the top handmade wines have proved that they can outshine in blind tasting the very European wines they emulate. The reason they do this with almost monotonous regularity is inherent in their nature. It is the fully ripe grape, a comparative rarity in
France and
Germany that makes Californian wines comparable with the great vintages from the best vineyards of
Europe .
Idaho
Has more in common with its neighbour Eastern Washington that it has with
Western Oregon . With vineyards at high altitude, it is close to if not beyond the normal viticultural fringe. Marginality here is not so much about ripening but about sheer survival, for
Idaho winters are bitterly cold and only the hardier varieties are likely to tolerate them. Riesling vines produce splendid sweet wines and both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are grown with some success. A sparkling wine industry provides an outlet for less ripe grapes picked during the harvest.
Missouri
Today,
Missouri has thirty wineries and about 700 acres under vines. There are three AVAs namely
Augusta and the Herman and Ozark mountain regions. The state’s most interesting red wine comes from the Norton and whites are produced from the Vidal and Sylva Blanc.
Missouri ’s most distinguished winery is Stone Hill founded in 1847.
New York
This north eastern state lies between the
Atlantic ocean and the
Great Lakes , historically an important wine region and second only to
California as a wine-producing state. Its inland wine regions share some of the characteristics of
Ontario across the border in
Canada .
Oregon
If
California excels in the production of atrous, complex cabernets then it is
Oregon , which must receive the gold medal for Pinot Noir, an altogether more difficult variety than the Cabernet Sauvignon.
Oregon , like
Burgundy , provides the climate and soil for the Pinot Noir to have to struggle to produce the fruit that, when correctly vinified, gives that memorable, elusive farmyard character. The best Pinot Noir from
Oregon is as scarce and as expensive as fine red
Burgundy . Quantities are small.
Texas
South western state currently the country’s fifth largest wine producer after
California ,
New York, Washington and
Oregon . Vines are grown in all parts of the state and conditions vary greatly. There are three main regions: North Central Region around
Dallas and
Fort Worth ; South Eastern Region around
Austin ,
San Antonio and
Houston ; and finally Texas High Plains in the Trans-Pecos region, whose high-altitude vineyards are responsible for the best wines of the state. Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon lead in the total number of acres planted but excellent wines are also made from the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chenin Blanc.
Virginia
Middle Atlantic state in the east of the country where wine production has recently increased substantially. Grapes have been grown in
Virginia since the seventeenth century and made the first wines in the
New World from indigenous varieties. Now, Chardonnay and the red
Bordeaux varieties do exceptionally well in the warm climate and there are some popular wines made from the Viognier. Today, there are over fifty wineries making quality wine from classic varieties and the chief regions are: Virginia Eastern Shore and
Shenandoah Valley together with Rocky Knob in the south west.
Washington
In terms of production,
Washington comes a distant second to
California but produces red and especially white wines of extraordinary consistency and quality, even at the basic level. The chief wine growing areas are
Western Washington and
Eastern Washington but shortage of space due to urban development means the former only accounts for 1% of production. The Riesling performs particularly well
In
Washington
State and can produce some stunning botrytis wines. Otherwise most well known grapes are found, including Pinot Noir, and perform consistently well.
WINE IN THE UNITED STATES
The vastness of the
United States together with its huge variety of geographical and climatic conditions makes it an ideal place for the growing of vines and the production of fine and very fine wines from classic Vitis Vinifera. Their technology is highly sophisticated and their expertise in the mass production of highly attractive and affordable table wines is complemented by a knowledge and a passion, which we know, allows the
United States to tempt us with some of the best wines in the world.
America
R.H. Phillips - www.rhphillips.com
Toasted Head - www.toastedhead.com
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