Wine Union

Believe it or not, there are vineyards in every state in the Union (and yep, that does include Alaska and Hawaii) but so long is the shadow cast by California’s mighty industry few see much light over here. Most people come across the occasional (and more than occasionally excellent) cool climate Pinot Noir from the Pacific north-west, or maybe the odd (more than occasionally very odd) “craft wine” from a local producer, but that’s usually about it.

 

I don’t know how Alaska and Hawaii are doing – and I’ve had a couple of stinkers from Colorado (sort of makes up for all those fabulous micro-beers) – but my random recent wanderings of the back-roads of American wine have been a real eye-opener. New York’s Finger Lakes region makes fabulous dry Rieslings, notably from Dr Konstantin Frank and Sheldrake Point, both of which have terrific purity of fruit and a classy balance of acidity and minerality that make the prices look frankly silly. Oregon producers Firesteed Cellars (their silky, strawberry “Citation” Pinot Noir 2000 is excellent) and Four Graces (whose Reserve Pinot Noirs are as good anything from Burgundy at the price) are among the best.

 

Virginia is making a reverse-colonisation bid over here, hoping to tempt us with the honeysuckle charms of Whitehall Vineyards viognier and Boxwood Winery's "Topiary" – a St.Émilion style made with Bordeaux's own Stephane Derenoncourt advising.

 

Knowledge that most of Washington state’s vineyards are at roughly the same latitude as those of Burgundy - around 47° North – may not initially set the pulse racing. But as I got to grips with the wines it started to emerge as the key to understanding what they’re about.

 

Given any individual grape variety, I suspect my favourite wine will be the one from the most northerly (in our hemisphere) God-forsaken viticultural outpost where the blessed fruit will eventually stagger to full ripeness. The whole thing can be summed up in a single word: “freshness.” Fact: cooler temperatures make fresher, brighter wines. Ecole No. 41 – especially their Sémillon – and, for reds, Snoqualmie, Andrew Will and Woodward Canyon all do it for me.

 

I definitely did drink – and not dream - a textbook TexItalian Sangiovese the other night and – what the hell? - maybe it’s time to check out the Hawaiian angle after all, just for the sake of journalistic thoroughness.

 

Find them on wine-searcher.com.