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| Photo: Finger Lakes Wine Country |
Due to a bout of strep throat this week, which scorched my palate like a prairie brush fire, I've fallen far behind in my wine tastings. I even asked Twitter, "Which wine goes best with strep?," but no one had a good pairing. In the meantime, I'm like a baby making the switch from the bottle (oatmeal and smoothies, in my case) to solid foods (actual dinners, with wine to match). In short, I'm late in posting this week and have no freshly tasted wines to discuss.
But my eyes just landed on my "Drink Local Wine" poster (top right) from the Finger Lakes Wine Country in New York, so here's one for vino-loving Slashfoodies: Can your state's wine stand up to those made in such beloved states as California?
Wine is made in 50 states now, though Joel Stein panned most of them in his whirlwind tour for Time magazine. And this month, DrinkLocalWine.com held its first-ever conference dedicated to regional wines, which includes all U.S. wines not made in California or the Pacific Northwest. The idea, as wine writers and cofounders Jeff Siegel and Dave McIntyre like to point out, is that plenty of states are making great wine.
So here's a way for you wine lovers to get involved in the local food movement via the grape. Try a local wine this week, and hit the comments with your thoughts. Got any amazing vinos near you?
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8-27-2009 @6:35PM Mel Kozek said... Just came back from Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay, MI just outside Traverse City on the Leelanau Penninsula. They make some very good white wines, especially their Reisling.
As an added bonus the Leelanau Cheese Company at the winery. Their raclette is an American Cheese Society competition winner. Not only is the wine good, but it is a great place to visit if you are in the area.
I'm a big supporter of buying local, and if you live in Michigan there are some very good wineries that deserve your support.
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8-27-2009 @6:50PM Keysamy said... I was pleased and surprised to discover that North Carolina has a bunch of decent to good wineries and vineyards. Apparently the clay-based soil, especially that of the Yadkin Valley in the central part of the state, is great for French grape varieties. My favorites are Hanover Park, Iron Gate, and Rag Apple Lassie. Whatever you don't, don't be fooled by the "local" wines from the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. Only the whites are local, the grapes from the red wines are imported from Napa.
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8-27-2009 @10:44PM Daniel said... I was wondering why I didn't see that on my Twitter, and then I found out vinobite has apparently blocked me?? Whaa?
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8-27-2009 @8:51PM Gretchen Roberts said... Daniel--did I block you? Do you have a spammy username and I mistakenly thought you were offering hardcore photos? I have no idea how to unblock someone on Twitter. Ideas?
Keysamy and Mel, NC and MI are two up-and-coming wine regions. I can't wait to try both. Been to the Biltmore but want to REALLY do NC soon.
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8-27-2009 @9:10PM Craig said... Missouri is home to at least 50 commercial wineries that I am aware of, several of which produce very good wines. Sadly, dry reds are in the minority, although there are a few good ones. Lately I have been enjoying the Cynthiana (also called Norton) from St. James winery. Norton is the premium wine grape in this part of the Midwest, and there are several wineries that can turn it into something special.
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8-27-2009 @10:55PM Daniel said... LOL -- come to think of it, my userpic is a little on the steamy/ridiculous side. My username is Lyprulz, and if you go to my page the Block button should be replaced by an Unblock button.
Perhaps I'll look into changing that picture.
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8-28-2009 @1:51AM Trigeia Twins said... love the poster. With all this information about wines, is it really true that wines get better with age. This article we ran across "The Growing Acceptance of Screwcaps for Wine" http://www.trigeia.com/article.php?id=112549 says that perhaps if the wine has a screwcaps its not gonna be the best. Is that what we should look for?
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8-28-2009 @2:41AM dtm said... for your strep throat, i imagine that something on the sweet end of the spectrum, possibly to the far syrupy end, would work -- the syrupy-ness coats the throat and the booze makes one feel just that much better. that brings to mind the local N.C. muscadine/scuppernong wines.
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8-28-2009 @10:07AM Numb said... Don't listen to him - as a former NC local I can promise you that there is NEVER a good reason to drink anything scuppernong, and that muscadine is only good for cider (it does make an amazing cider though).
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8-28-2009 @10:15AM Gretchen Roberts said... Trigeia Twins--90 percent of wine is made to be drunk within a few years. If you're buying really expensive wine to cellar, yeah, I'd avoid the screwcap at least until they've had more time to do good testing on them, but otherwise they're totally safe.
Craig--my husband adores Norton. I posted about it awhile back (http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/08/norton-wine-of-the-week/) and just recently we were talking about our "desert-island" wine and he said Norton.
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8-28-2009 @10:17AM Gretchen Roberts said... Maybe for the strep I need a hot toddy.
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8-29-2009 @10:25AM Numb said... Re: screwcaps - from what I've heard and read, a screwcap is actually *better* for the wine as it's more airtight and doesn't have the risk of rotting.
Re: Norton - I'm a huge Norton fan, and honestly I'm very proud of the wine scene from my native state of Virginia (where Norton flourishes). I've had some incredible wines there, and frankly would say that only California has a noticably better domestic product.
(sorry in advance if this double-posts, got a weird error when I tried the first time)
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9-09-2009 @10:37PM Joan said... New Jersey has almost 40 wineries that produce many good wines. Go to newjersewines.com for information on upcoming festivals and vineyard locations. Many wineries also have their own concerts and special events that make a visit more than just wine tastings.
My friends and I have traveled to the Finger Lakes for a long weekend each year for the last 5 years and still have not visited every winery. Love those Reislings!
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