Here’s an impressive statistic for you: The number of wineries in the United States has more than doubled this decade,from 2,188 in 2000 to 4,712 last year, according to Wine America, a D.C.-based trade association. At the same time, California’s share of that number has dropped from 53 percent (1,156 wineries) to 33 percent (1,553 wineries. While California still produces close to 90 percent of all wine made in the United States, this is explosive growth, and a lot of it is happening in states that until recently have not really been associated with quality wine production. Sure, Oregon and Washington account for some of that growth, but New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Colorado also lead the growth spurt in the new millennium.
And here’s more good news: Quality is improving, too!
That’s why I’m part of a group of wine writers eager to feature the growth of “regional wine” in the United States. The week of October 6, writers across the country – in newspapers, Internet publications and blogs – will highlight wines from their localities or areas where they have traveled. Look for their writings to be collected on a Web site which I will feature here. One such wine I recently enjoyed was the Chaddsford 2007 Rosé, a delightfully fruity, dry rosé made exclusively from Chambourcin. Winemaker Eric Miller calls 2007 “the vintage of a life time” for his patch of southeastern Pennsylvania, and he’s bled off some nice juice from his always-reliable Chambourcin to make this fun late-summer quaffer. According to the Chaddsford Web site, they only made 147 cases of it, and they don’t list a price, so it may be sold out already. (The winery sent me a sample.) Chaddsford isn’t exactly “local” for me here in the D.C. area, but it’s close enough. This is exactly the type of wine that consumers, writers, and retailers should be seeking out. Is it profound? No. But it’s good. It’s fun. And it’s “from around here.”
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