Even though California, Oregon, and Washington state reign supreme, let's explore the wealth of fabulous wines in our other states. Believe it or not, there are great wines being made in Ohio, Virginia, New York, Arizona, and pretty much every state in the United States!
Wine in the States
Now that 4th of July has passed, we will soon leave some of our patriotism to the side and go on with our lives. In the wine business, I feel like we leave our desire for our wines that are grown here in the United States for the wines from across the sea. As much as I'm a francophile for French wines, I've pushed that aside for this month to explore the domestic side of wine in this country in which we live. Believe it or not, there are great wines being made in Ohio, Virginia, New York, Arizona, and pretty much every state in the United States! Even though California, Oregon, and Washington state reign supreme, let's explore the wealth of fabulous wines in our other states.
Just a few weeks back, I went to see my favorite band Rush at Riverbend. I was speaking wine with another gentleman in the wine business about musicians who find themselves more passionate about wine than their day job. He mentioned Maynard James Keenan (MJK), from the band Tool. I've had some of his wines before, and I thought they were pretty solid. Following our conversation, this sparked me to crack open a bottle of his wine a few days later. MJK started his winery in Arizona, and is starting to produce some excellent wines that have amazing character. Who would know, that Arizona would be an area to produce stunning wines.
My suggestion to everyone is not to write off a specific area just because that location might not be known to be a "wine growing" area. There is an amazing sparkling wine producer coming from New Mexico called Gruet. There are Cabernet Francs grown right here in Ohio and in Virginia that can hold their own against some of the best. Next time you're out purchasing a bottle of wine, try something a little different and home grown!
