Wineries Galore!

Once upon a time, a long time ago, the wine industry was concentrated on the West Coast. But, just the other day, I read an article that simply amazed me with some facts. First, there is a working winery in every state in the United States. Yes, there is a winery in  Alaska and Hawaii. While I have never visited our Alaskan friends, I have tasted wine at the one in Hawaii. It is on the Island of Maui and named Tedeschi. While not the most complex wine I have tasted, it was a fun visit.

Here is something else I found most interesting. This is taken from an article printed in Wine & Vines, March 2015. This is a monthly magazine focusing on the wine industry itself. The headline said that North American winery numbers grew by 7.1% in 2014. That obviously includes Canada where they make a lot of ice wine (more about that in a later blog). In this article, the numbers of states that have 100 or more wineries were listed:

California – 3913
Washington – 704
Oregon – 632
New York – 333
Virginia – 257
Pennsylvania – 200
Ohio – 158
Michigan – 143
North Carolina – 138
Missouri – 132
Colorado – 113
Illinois – 104

Wow! That is a lot wine being produced. My question is, “What does it taste like?” I have drunk wine from the West Coast and New York. I have even tasted wine from Missouri, yet who knew that these other states were working hard to crack the code of fine wine?

From these numbers, it is clear that no matter where you live, the opportunity to visit a winery and taste the fruits of their labor is close at hand. Time to get out there and explore!

Enjoy!