From what states in the US have you had good or at least palatable wine?

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#1 Post by **J a y H a c k** » May 2nd, 2019, 1:25 pm

I can't do it as a poll because you can't have 49 choices (no winery in Alaska last time I checked, so please make a list of any states that have not already been listed. I will start it off with my list, which I think covers all the obvious ones plus a few more.

I have had good wine from CA, WA, OR, ID, NM, NY, CT, MI, VA and almost (mediocre but not shitty) from PA.

PS - For the less-skilled, Canada or its lesser jurisdictions, Ontario and British Columbia, are not states.

#2 Post by **Joe B** » May 2nd, 2019, 1:27 pm

California.

#3 Post by **Br1an Th0rne** » May 2nd, 2019, 1:29 pm

I've had "good" wine from CA, WA, OR, TX, and NY. I've had "palatable" wine from NC, NM, and VA. I've also had wine from the great commonwealth of PA, but none of the many wineries I've tried fall into the previous 2 categories!

#4 Post by **Anton D** » May 2nd, 2019, 1:39 pm

I am similar to Brian.

CA, WA, OR, NY, and add Colorado thanks to Kyle Schlachter!

Markus S · #5 Post by **Markus S** » May 2nd, 2019, 2:07 pm

Define "good". Do you mean potable? I think many states make okay wine, some better, and a few better still, but it's difficult to compete against the Left Coast as they have an abundance of nature on their side. What were the Pennsylvanian wines you had that you didn't like? There *are* decent wineries there.

#6 Post by **T. Melloni** » May 2nd, 2019, 2:22 pm

For me - the obvious - CA, OR and WA.
Also, NY. Most recently, Forge Cellars. They have a delicious late harvest but super dry Riesling and a Pinot Noir that are so different than most Finger Lakes wines. Worth looking for. I met the winemaker last year and he described how they let their Riesling grapes hang a bit longer but still can get them to be bone dry.
I have also enjoyed some of the Channing Daughters wines from Long Island.
I have had good white wines from Virginia - reds, not so much. (I'll have to search my notes as to the name of the VA wines I liked).

And the surprise one: Vermont. (Vermont - it's not just hazy IPAs).
La Garagista makes some interesting wines - the one that I think is quite good is their Ci Confonde petillant naturel. Deirdre Heekin is the winemaker. She makes a white and a rose pet nats. Very nice - like a fresh cider, with lovely floral elements and good acidity. She makes other wines using hybrid varieties as well.

#7 Post by **Hank Victor** » May 2nd, 2019, 2:26 pm

California
Washington State
Oregon
New York

Haven't tried much else domestically. I will try some CO wines later this year. I am also planning to buy Gruet (New Mexico) and sneak it into a blind bubbles tasting.

Jason Hagen · #8 Post by **Jason Hagen** » May 2nd, 2019, 2:26 pm

OR, CA, WA, IN, NY & NM & KY.

J

#9 Post by **T. Melloni** » May 2nd, 2019, 2:28 pm

Jay - When you use the word wine - I assume that is any fermented beverage using fruit as the base and not just fermented grape juice.
So I will add Maine - for its blueberry wine. (Very different than the blueberry wine you served at one of your prior WB events).

Loren Sonkin · #10 Post by **Loren Sonkin** » May 2nd, 2019, 2:38 pm

Good wines from WA, OR, CA, AZ, VA, MI, OH, NY, MO, TX, CO, NM

Palatable from VT, PA, MT (though I think the gapes came from elsewhere), ID

Also had a great Blueberry wine from ME

#11 Post by **Robert.A.Jr.** » May 2nd, 2019, 2:42 pm

Not many, but I did once have a Cynthiana from GA that was quite decent. Now I will admit to also being on a 70-mile bike ride through the mountain range and might have been a bit dehydrated, but, it was quite good.

#12 Post by **CJ Beazley** » May 2nd, 2019, 2:44 pm

California
Oregon
Washington
New Mexico

#13 Post by **Jim Stewart** » May 2nd, 2019, 2:50 pm

CA, WA, OR, NY, CO, NM, CT

#14 Post by **Wes Barton** » May 2nd, 2019, 3:14 pm

CA, OR, WA, MI, NY, NM, TX, CO, MO, AZ, VA.

#15 Post by **bradkaplan** » May 2nd, 2019, 3:21 pm

Add Georgia and Virginia to the usual suspects.

#16 Post by **Josh Grossman** » May 2nd, 2019, 3:23 pm

Robert.A.Jr. wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 2:42 pm Not many, but I did once have a Cynthiana from GA that was quite decent. Now I will admit to also being on a 70-mile bike ride through the mountain range and might have been a bit dehydrated, but, it was quite good.

Norton/Cynthiana is a weird and wonderful grape. I've had good examples from Ohio and Missouri too. Ohio, has some good bedrock (barely glaciated marled limestone hilltops coming up from KY) for great wine, but the weather only seems cooperate about once a decade. The best winery in Ohio (Kinkead Ridge) sold, then froze, and is now soy beans. I've had some nice riesling from Michigan (but not better than Germany), some nice late harvest pinot gris along Lake Erie (but not better than Alsace) and suspect anywhere in the Niagara Escarpment can make good wine in good years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_E ... nt_map.png

I tried extensively in the Finger Lakes and didn't find anything that was palatable--but it could have just been a bad year.

#17 Post by **John Morris** » May 2nd, 2019, 3:29 pm

Gruet's wines are much better than potable, so I think we have to include New Mexico on the list.

T. Melloni wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 2:22 pm And the surprise one: Vermont. (Vermont - it's not just hazy IPAs).
La Garagista makes some interesting wines - the one that I think is quite good is their Ci Confonde petillant naturel. Deirdre Heekin is the winemaker. She makes a white and a rose pet nats. Very nice - like a fresh cider, with lovely floral elements and good acidity. She makes other wines using hybrid varieties as well.

I've had a few excellent icewines from Vermont.

Brian Gilp · #18 Post by **Brian Gilp** » May 2nd, 2019, 3:33 pm

Good: CA, OR, WA, NM, TX, MI, VA, MD, NY, NC
Palatable: RI, IN, NJ, WV, PA

#19 Post by **Howard Cooper** » May 2nd, 2019, 3:35 pm

I have had good wine from California, Oregon and Washington plus in limited amounts from Virginia (the best one I have had is a Chardonnay from Linden) and Idaho (years ago, probably in the late 70s I had a pretty good Chardonnay from an Idaho winery (was it called Saint Chapelle) - have never seen it since). I have had palatable wines from New York, and Maryland. I have also had wines from Pennsylvania.

#20 Post by **Michael Martin** » May 2nd, 2019, 3:47 pm

CA, CO, OR, WA

#21 Post by **Bdklein** » May 2nd, 2019, 4:11 pm

CA,WA,OR,NY,CO. I have also had wine from NY, CA and CO I couldn’t drink . And have also had wine from NM (Gruet-in the past).

#22 Post by **Michael Feldman** » May 2nd, 2019, 4:24 pm

Good- CA, WA, OR
Palatable- NY
Bad- VA, PA

Curious if any Berserkers belong to wine clubs in those states they consider “good wine” save for the three above.

Wade H · #23 Post by **Wade H** » May 2nd, 2019, 4:32 pm

Legit good to great wines from CA, OR, WA, NY and NM.

Palatable from PA and TX, but nothing I'd ever consider memorable. Most of it was pretty bad, though. My most recent PA try was a nasty brett-laden Chambourcin.

No experience but I have heard about some decent wine being made in VA, MI, ID, AZ, and CO.

#24 Post by **PeterH** » May 2nd, 2019, 4:36 pm

I've had excellent wines from the usual suspects, CA, OR, WA, NY, MI, pretty tasty wines from ID, CO, and NM. Somewhat drinkable wines from TX, VA and AZ, and totally undrinkable wines from a number of other mid-west states.

GregT · #25 Post by **GregT** » May 2nd, 2019, 4:37 pm

Alphabetically:

AZ
CA
CO
CT
ID
MI
MO
NM
NY
OH
OR
TX
VA
WA

Brian Gilp · #26 Post by **Brian Gilp** » May 2nd, 2019, 4:39 pm

Michael Feldman wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 4:24 pm Good- CA, WA, OR
Palatable- NY
Bad- VA, PA

Curious if any Berserkers belong to wine clubs in those states they consider “good wine” save for the three above.

Not now but was in RdV and the Linden case club (not a club in the traditional sense) in the past. But to be fair I dropped all clubs except one (Calluna) so don’t read too much into the dropping as that puts them in the company of Ridge and Tablas Creek among others.

#27 Post by **Gray G** » May 2nd, 2019, 5:01 pm

CA
WA
OR

are great

almost all else is just BS, and where were the grapes from anyway LOL

Markus S · #28 Post by **Markus S** » May 2nd, 2019, 5:13 pm

Gray G wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 5:01 pm CA
WA
OR

are great

almost all else is just BS, and where were the grapes from anyway LOL

That's quite discriminatory...

#29 Post by **Gray G** » May 2nd, 2019, 5:54 pm

Markus S wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 5:13 pm
Gray G wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 5:01 pm CA
WA
OR

are great

almost all else is just BS, and where were the grapes from anyway LOL
That's quite discriminatory...

put me in jail LOL

#30 Post by **Kirk.Grant** » May 2nd, 2019, 5:57 pm

I've had some surprises...Here are the wines that really stood out for me.

CA: 2002 Teachworth Cabernet Sauvignon Manzanita Hill Vineyard (750ml in 2008)
OR: 1990 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve (750ml in 2010)
WA: 1994 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (750ml in 2013)
ME: 2005 Bartlett Blueberry Winemaker's Reserve (750ml in 2018)
NY: 2013 Hermann J. Wiemer Cabernet Franc Magdalena Vineyard (750ml in 2016)
MA: 2000 Westport Rivers Blanc de Blancs Ultra Brut Westport Rivers (in 2011)
PA: 1986 Allegro Vineyards Cadenza Allegro Vineyards (1500ml in 2010)
ID: 2005 Ste. Chapelle Riesling Special Harvest Winemaker's Series (750ml in 2007)

#31 Post by **tcavallo** » May 2nd, 2019, 7:27 pm

CA, WA, OR, NY, VT, MD, MI, VA, TX... And I'm sure soon to expand into multiple other states, with the impending releases of the wines and piquette from American Wine Project (https://americanwineproject.com/).

Gotta say I'm pretty psyched to see NY on almost every list!

#32 Post by **Matthew King** » May 2nd, 2019, 7:40 pm

Alaska has several wineries. But they all import their grapes so not sure if that counts in this exercise.

#33 Post by **Paul Miller** » May 2nd, 2019, 7:50 pm

Tier 1: Calif, Oregon, Washington
Tier 2: Arizona, NM, New York
-- now we get into "drinkable" --
Tier 3: Texas, Colorado, Arkansas, Illinois, NC, Virginia, Missouri, RI, Penn
-- and finally, hard to swallow --
Tier 4: Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minn, Georgia

Yao C · #34 Post by **Yao C** » May 2nd, 2019, 8:01 pm

I’ve had quite decent wine from AZ even if it was 3.9 pH lol. Don’t remember what it was but it was a Rhône varietal

Also NY and NM

#35 Post by **J a y H a c k** » May 2nd, 2019, 8:09 pm

J a y H a c k wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 1:25 pm I can't do it as a poll because you can't have 49 choices (no winery in Alaska last time I checked, so please make a list of any states that have not already been listed. I will start it off with my list, which I think covers all the obvious ones plus a few more.

I have had good wine from CA, WA, OR, ID, NM, NY, CT, MI, VA and almost (mediocre but not shitty) from PA.

PS - For the less-skilled, Canada or its lesser jurisdictions, Ontario and British Columbia, are not states.

#36 Post by **Craig G** » May 2nd, 2019, 8:14 pm

John Morris wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 3:29 pm Gruet's wines are much better than potable, so I think we have to include New Mexico on the list.

I don’t think it’s NM wine any more, and it was better when it was. I’m not sure if they make any Estate wines that are.

#37 Post by **Robert.A.Jr.** » May 2nd, 2019, 8:26 pm

Paul Miller wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 7:50 pm Tier 1: Calif, Oregon, Washington
Tier 2: Arizona, NM, New York
-- now we get into "drinkable" --
Tier 3: Texas, Colorado, Arkansas, Illinois, NC, Virginia, Missouri, RI, Penn
-- and finally, hard to swallow --
Tier 4: Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minn, Georgia

Tier 10: Florida

We have wineries. Lots of them.

#38 Post by **PeterH** » May 2nd, 2019, 9:03 pm

J a y H a c k wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 8:09 pm
J a y H a c k wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 1:25 pm I can't do it as a poll because you can't have 49 choices (no winery in Alaska last time I checked, so please make a list of any states that have not already been listed. I will start it off with my list, which I think covers all the obvious ones plus a few more.

I have had good wine from CA, WA, OR, ID, NM, NY, CT, MI, VA and almost (mediocre but not shitty) from PA.

PS - For the less-skilled, Canada or its lesser jurisdictions, Ontario and British Columbia, are not states.

Didn't read the OP. Should we all delete our posts?

I have had quite good wines from BC and Ontario. Can I count Baja, even though it is probably not officially a state?

GregT · #39 Post by **GregT** » May 3rd, 2019, 1:12 am

almost all else is just BS, and where were the grapes from anyway LOL

All BS? I assume you've had plenty of samples and speak from broad experience. But the grapes for all that I've seen would be from those states. Not sure why CA and WA and OR would be the only states that can produce good wine.

#40 Post by **Scott Brunson** » May 3rd, 2019, 2:35 am

Robert.A.Jr. wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 8:26 pm
Paul Miller wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 7:50 pm Tier 1: Calif, Oregon, Washington
Tier 2: Arizona, NM, New York
-- now we get into "drinkable" --
Tier 3: Texas, Colorado, Arkansas, Illinois, NC, Virginia, Missouri, RI, Penn
-- and finally, hard to swallow --
Tier 4: Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minn, Georgia
Tier 10: Florida

We have wineries. Lots of them.

offline pending

I'll sneak a tier 11 SC wine into the lineup.

Markus S · #41 Post by **Markus S** » May 3rd, 2019, 5:29 am

Scott Brunson wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2019, 2:35 am I'll sneak a tier 11 SC wine into the lineup.

Scuppernong!

#42 Post by **D@vid Bu3ker** » May 3rd, 2019, 5:34 am

Believe it or not, but there is a winery in Vermont that is making some very nice sparkling wine, with Vermont grapes.

The folks only listing CA, WA and OR have some serious snob issues. Not listing VT or NM, etc. is at least understandable, but states such as NY and VA make objectively (or as objective as this hobby can get) good wines.

#43 Post by **Paul McCourt** » May 3rd, 2019, 6:32 am

I think CA, OR , WA go without saying. NY is a definite. On trips to visit my daughter at school I have had some OK VA wines.

#44 Post by **Jay Miller** » May 3rd, 2019, 6:33 am

I've had
good wine from CA, OR, NY, WA, NM (older Gruet, they've been disappointing for the last decade)
passable wine from VA
only horrible wine from NJ, MN

#45 Post by **Ben M a n d l e r** » May 3rd, 2019, 6:53 am

Having lived in Virginia for the last three years I’ve had a chance to try wines from a lot of wineries. Some people really don’t realize how far the local wine industry has come in the last 10-20 years. Sure, there’s still a lot of mediocre wine, but that’s true everywhere. You can’t really judge a region that way. My main objection to Virginia wine is that, pound for pound, the good stuff is still a bit more expensive. Many reasons for that, of course, but there is a lot of good stuff in the $30-45 range.

Virginia wineries that produce wine good enough that I have bought or would buy at least one bottle:
Stone Tower (estate bottlings only - good bdx blends and overpriced but tasty Petit verdot, plus a nice rose; their Wild Boar label uses out-of-state grapes)
Veritas (Viognier, Petit Verdot)
The Barns at Hamilton Station (Petit Manseng, Petit Verdot)
Linden (chard)
Paradise Springs (Meritage, Cab Franc)
Early Mountain (chard)
Ox Eye (Pinot Noir)
Jake Busching
Michael Shaps (Petit Verdot, Petit Manseng)

Barboursville, Valley Road, Delaplane, and a handful of others also make some very good wine amidst some duds. And quality across the board is rising all the time. RdV is too expensive but people tell me it’s great.

#46 Post by **TomHill** » May 3rd, 2019, 6:58 am

Craig G wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 8:14 pm
John Morris wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 3:29 pm Gruet's wines are much better than potable, so I think we have to include New Mexico on the list.
I don’t think it’s NM wine any more, and it was better when it was. I’m not sure if they make any Estate wines that are.

Bingo, Craig. When Gruet was purchased by PreceptBrands, they intended to triple the production of sparklers.
Though the wine is made (at least the sparkling part) in Albq, the primary grape source is WashState.
They still have (and tout) their NM vnyds, that's the money-loser part of the operation. It's all lost
in the blend. The labels all say "Proudly Produced in NM", but on the back label, it's labeled "American".
A bit of false advertising.
Tom

#47 Post by **Jay Miller** » May 3rd, 2019, 7:29 am

TomHill wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2019, 6:58 am
Craig G wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 8:14 pm
John Morris wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 3:29 pm Gruet's wines are much better than potable, so I think we have to include New Mexico on the list.
I don’t think it’s NM wine any more, and it was better when it was. I’m not sure if they make any Estate wines that are.
Bingo, Craig. When Gruet was purchased by PreceptBrands, they intended to triple the production of sparklers.
Though the wine is made (at least the sparkling part) in Albq, the primary grape source is WashState.
They still have (and tout) their NM vnyds, that's the money-loser part of the operation. It's all lost
in the blend. The labels all say "Proudly Produced in NM", but on the back label, it's labeled "American".
A bit of false advertising.
Tom

Thanks for the information. Gruet used to be great value, not it's DNPIM

#48 Post by **Craig G** » May 3rd, 2019, 8:27 am

Yes, I tried Gruet several times because so many people recommended it, and I always thought I could do better with most any $8 Cava. I must have missed the original window where it was good.

#49 Post by **T. Melloni** » May 3rd, 2019, 9:02 am

J a y H a c k wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 8:09 pm
J a y H a c k wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2019, 1:25 pm I can't do it as a poll because you can't have 49 choices (no winery in Alaska last time I checked, so please make a list of any states that have not already been listed. I will start it off with my list, which I think covers all the obvious ones plus a few more.

I have had good wine from CA, WA, OR, ID, NM, NY, CT, MI, VA and almost (mediocre but not shitty) from PA.

PS - For the less-skilled, Canada or its lesser jurisdictions, Ontario and British Columbia, are not states.

Jay - I think you posted in the wrong thread. I know you are the OP of this thread, but it looks like you meant to post this in: The, "Get off my lawn!" curmudgeon complaint thread...
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=160332
Mods - please fix.

#50 Post by **Doug Schulman** » May 3rd, 2019, 3:26 pm

Other than the obvious, I've had good wine from Arizona (Caduceus), Virginia (I forget the producer), New Mexico (Gruet before they sold), and Massachusetts (Westport Rivers sparkling wines). Of those, I've probably been most impressed with Westport Rivers in Massachusetts (specifically the Blanc de Blancs, and especially, but not limited to, the 2001). Of course, if we're to include fruit wine, I have to emphatically throw Maine into the mix (Bartlett). I've had a lot of crap wine from a lot of other states, and from some of the ones I listed.