North America
Grapes are grown and wine is actually produced in the majority of states in the USA. That having been said it is really only in New York State in the east and California, Oregon and Washington State in the west, that there is a developed Wine Industry.
California ‘Wine Country’
California is best known for full bodied reds and full bodied, oaky whites made from very ripe fruit. The main red varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and their ‘own’ Zinfandel. (In fact Zin has recently been identified as being very closely related to the Italian grape Primitivo). The whites are predominantly Chardonnay.
As with many wine countries of the New World, the winemakers of California are still finding their way when it comes to which grape varieties are suited to which regions. Hence the different geographical wine regions, referred to as American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), have not been as significant as the name of the producer on the label. The AVA system, in fact, makes no stipulations as to yields or varieties to be used at all. (It is much more flexible than ‘appellation controllée’ leaving it to the winery to make their own mistakes or carve out their own particularity.
It is now acknowledged that certain areas are classic for some varieties and that the old Californian maxim that any variety can be planted anywhere, and that quality is made by the winemaker in the winery, is just plain wrong. The planting of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in cooler areas such as the Russian River Valley and Carneros and their near complete retreat from hotter areas of Napa, is a sure sign that the Californian winemakers are on their way to giving meaning to their AVA system and in some cases almost treating it like appellation controllée.
Does California then have terroir? Of course it does! One only has to think how long great Cabernet has been grown in Rutherford and Oakville to see that California is really not so different from the rest of the wine world.
Wine touring in California can be deeply rewarding and also very frustrating. There is almost no region in the world where the wine tourism is more developed and this itself is the cause of the rewards and the disappointments. The tasting room experience, the video show, the marketing-led tasting, and of course the shop heaving with logoed T-shirts, branded souvenirs and wine paraphernalia are surely Californian inventions. To see what mass wine-tourism is, go to the Napa Valley floor on a Saturday in season when the tasting rooms are heaving, the wine train and the limos are out, and the winemakers are somewhere else! It’s all quite a long way from standing around in a damp burgundy cellar waiting in silence whilst the vigneron draws a sample from the barrel or the private idyllic vineyard lunch somewhere in Italy.
BUT if you can escape from this, California does wine tourism very well. On our tours we have had idyllic vineyard lunches, superb tastings of the greatest wines with the winemakers, gorgeous pairings of wine and food, in-depth discussions about the wine …. Yes, California does understand what the wine tourist is looking for, at all ends of the spectrum. To have a great experience however, you do need to go to a special event at a winery or be on a serious group wine tour.
Arblaster & Clarke have been arranging Wine Tours to the Californian wine country since 1989. It was the first ‘New World’ country we visited.
The next tour will be in early spring 2010. Do not miss it!
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a relatively unknown territory for foreign wine drinkers which comes as a surprise to American wine lovers as they are fully aware that many of the country’s greatest wines come from these. To some extent the Pacific Northwest was born out of the limitations of California as a cool climate region and Oregon certainly is more promising looking country for Pinot in particular. We have also been very taken by the Merlot from Washington State.
Washington State and Oregon feature in our ‘Pacific Northwest Tour’ and we are delighted to be running this tour next year, 21st – 27th July 2010. The trip will feature aspects of the International Pinot Noir Celebration in Oregon, a fantastic event with 60 Pinot Noirs available and a salmon bake!(pictured above)
Please register your interest for this trip via email or call us on 00 44 (0) 1730 263111
Do come and explore!
California
13 - 19 November 2011
USA's Pacific Northwest and the International Pinot Noir Festival
21 - 27 July 2010
