When talking about wine I often feel like the little boy who blurts out that the Emperor has no clothes.

Many houses offer us good budget label wines in the hope that these will tempt us to try their more serious offerings. Needless to say, the serious stuff costs twice, thrice, even four times as much as the cheapo. But the expectation is that on trying it we will nod solemnly, say “Mmm, one does see the difference,” and banish all memory of the budget wine.

Often this strategy works. But now and again I am left feeling that the budget wine is the better bet. Read the rest of this entry »

The story of Oregon Pinot Noir would make an amusing though implausible novel.

Wine has been grown in the northwestern state of Oregon since the nineteenth century. Until the 1960s most of it was rubbish. Then, against the advice of experts, a young winemaker named David Lett planted Pinot Noir in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. He guessed that the cooler, damper conditions would suit the great Burgundian grape better than those of California. He guessed correctly.

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In my item on Condrieu I mentioned successful Viogniers from places other than the Rhône. I have now got round to sampling this one, from Middleburg in Virginia, and I recommend it warmly.

Its makers, Chrysalis Vineyards, have been in business for only a decade. They have all the exuberance of youth. “We are new, excited and energized,” their website tells us breathlessly, “as we combine the best of modern techniques with the traditional hand-crafted winemaking methods of the Old World.”
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Ever tried Virginia wine? When it is good, it is very good indeed. And scarcely anyone has heard of it yet, which means there are some real bargains to be had.

In 2003 the state of Virginia grew 3,600 tons of grapes, producing 576,000 gallons of wine. By US standards that is not very much, and by no means of all of it has resulted in serious wine. Nevertheless, of the 80 wineries that have started up here over the past quarter-century, at least a dozen deserve close attention. And of these, the most impressive I have so far come across is Linden vineyards, an hour’s drive west of Washington, D.C.

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