Posts Tagged ‘Wineries’

Renowned in California as its most esteemed winegrowing region, Napa Valley boasts some of the finest bottles in the area and making it a must-see on any wine tourist’s list.  With almost 300 wineries to its name, it’s full of bottles that have amazing flavor and are often coveted by wine tasters who know what they’re looking for.  The wide range of microclimates in the region makes it ideal for many types of grapes.  This, in turn, allows for different bottles of wine to make their way to the surface.  Not only can you enjoy a high quality cabernet sauvignon, but also delightful pinot noirs or chardonnays.

Napa Valley is a beautiful place to visit and is an ideal place for wine tours that last not just one day, but several.  Making it better are the shops and restaurants that have popped up in the region, enhancing your wine drinking adventures with good food and good fun.  It’s the perfect place to rent a car and go driving with a picnic basket in the back, friends up in the front, and wine all around.

Though “Southern Region” isn’t the official name of the area in the United States where wine is made, it can be used to cover several states:

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

While most of these states do have a handful of wineries, a few have more than others.  This is often due to climate as well as the market for the vineyards.  North Carolina has several counties that feature wineries.  It may surprise some people, but so does Texas.  If you aren’t sure where to go in the Southern Region, you have several options available.  Many states have their own websites featuring their wine growing hotspots, such as Winesocietyoftexas.org or Georgiawinecountry.com.  But you can also use wine guides from bookstores that feature locations throughout the country.  If you happen to be in the state you want to tour, check bookstores’ local sections to see if there are any books or guides available that will tell you all about the area and the vineyards you can visit.

Thanks to the beauty of the World Wide Web, even the oldest of wine connoisseurs can find more ways to connect with other wine lovers, as well as find out more information than ever about their favorite wines.  You can find out the newest wineries in your area, discover food and wine pairings you never would have thought of on your own, and find great wine-related goodies that are perfect for parties or personal use.

Aside from all that this site can offer you, there are many other sites out there as well.  Different sites tend to focus on different things, thus they are able to offer you a wide range of services and information.  WineryAdventures.com provides visitors with reviews of wineries in a large area, ranging from the Midwest to the East of the United States.  WinesofNZ.com is all about New Zealand wines, from the different regions to the delicious wines.  Take some time to choose some of your favorite wine-related links and create bookmarks for them so you can use them at your leisure and share them with friends.

The Rheinhessen Region is the largest wine region in Germany at a whopping 65,000 acres.  Its location is nestled underneath the curve of the Rhine and the Nahe rivers.  You may find that some of the best wines come from wineries that are located closer to the Rhine.  This is due to the richness of the soil, allowing it to help offer an additional complexity to the wines through the grapes.

From the Rheinhessen Region, you can enjoy tasteful Riesling, Muller-Thurgau, and Sylvaner.  Vineyards are seeking new ways to entice drinkers, as well as new varieties that can offer up a little something special.  This includes such wines as the dry Sylvaner which is marketed under the “Rheinhessen-Silvaner” label.  With such large tracts of land and unique taste brought forth by the fresh Rhine, you never know what you might get from the Rheinhessen Region.  It’s the kind of wine you simply need to taste for yourself.

Practically next door to the Ahr Region, Mittelrhein is aptly named due to its location, right along the Rhine River.  Similar to the Ahr Region, Mittelrhein is small in size, only about 1,700 acres.  In fact, the region has actually shrunk in size over the years, partly due to the steepness of the slopes and the difficulty that can be involved when it comes to growing vines.  The tip of the region begins at Bonn, with Koblenz practically at its center.

The cool climates make it great for Muller-Thurgau as well as Riesling and Kerner grape varieties.  Slate soil makes it an ideal spot for Riesling, which is why you will find that some of the best bottles appear in this region from that particular variety.  Flavorful with plenty of zing, the Riesling is more than ready to please.

The steep slopes may make the Mittelrhein a little forbidding, but don’t let that fool you.  There are plenty of wineries ready to make your acquaintance and show you just how they make such delicious wines in such a unique place.

Northeast of the bustling City of Melbourne lies the Beechworth Region, located in the Victoria area of Australia.  After gold was discovered, settlements quickly followed and so did the development of wineries.

Since then, Beechworth has seen ups and downs in the amount of wine created and sold.  The altitude has a definite impact on the climate and can range widely.  Large amounts of rainfall occur higher up while heat can fluctuate.  Irrigation is also important considering certain locations where underground water is scarce.

There are only a handful of wineries in the Beechworth area and each one may make a single or several types of wine.  The main wines produced in the region are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, and Gamay.  Certain wines have proved slightly more difficult to produce – such s the Pinot Noir and Gamay – but wineries located at the right altitudes and with the best climates have been able to produce quality bottles.

When you visit Italy and wander over to the areas of Asti, Alessandria, and Cuneo, you have found the place for Moscato d’Asti wine.

Moscato d’Asti wine is regulated by the DOCG and crafted in the above areas according to their guidelines.  While not every winery may follow the DOCG procedures, that means they will also not be mentioned in the DOCG list and have no formal ranking.  The wines you taste are up to you though.  The Moscato d’Asti wine is generally a wine that is low in alcohol with a sweet flavor.  It is frequently enjoyed with a dessert, as the sweetness of the food and the wine pair well together.

These wines are typically developed from the Moscato Bianco grape.  This same grape, however, is also used to create a sparkling wine, often referred to as Asti or Asti Spumante.  Feel free to travel throughout the area trying different bottles from different wineries to find the ones you like the best.

One thing that I love to do on almost any given weekend is to visit the wineries close to home here in Santa Clarita, CA.
Around here there are many small to medium sized wineries. It seems it is impossible to run out of wineries to visit.
Years ago, I’d just start driving to see where I’d end up, stopping at the tasting rooms along the way. It was a lot of fun, and when gas was at $1 a gallon it was an inexpensive way to see the country and sample my favorite beverage – wine.
With gas at almost $3 a gallon, wandering around the countryside is not as cheap as it once was and not knowing when the wineries are open leaves a frustrating taste in the mouth – something akin to road dust.
So, I have taken to finding wine country tours.
Wine country touring can range from very inexpensive to extremely costly, depending on what you are looking for.
I like tours that take you to the small, little known wineries that handcraft their wines.
The big advantage to touring is that you can see the beautiful countryside, relax knowing that your guide knows the better wineries, and you get an opportunity to meet like-minded wine lovers.
Last year I took a tour with Captain Jack’s Tours out of Santa Barbara.
For $50 we rode in a very comfortable van, met some wonderful people and visited 4 wonderful wineries: Giessinger Winery, Summerland winery tasting room, Carr Vineyards, and Sterns Wharf Vintners (Coastal Winery).
If you want a day of leisure and fun find a wine tour near where you live. There are wineries in every state and near almost any city.
Just Google your city + wine tours and then prepare to sit back and let someone else do the driving while you have all of the fun!