A recent post over at the Oinos Nervosa wine blog really made me stop and think twice about local and state wine competitions. I’ve always believed these competitions should only accept wines that were produced from grapes grown in the same state. Or, at the very least, have a separate category to judge these particular wines. Unfortunately, the wines continue to win awards, whereas the emphasis should instead be on wines made from locally grown grapes. The local terroir is the greatest advantage these wineries have over the big wine states. I don’t fly to Virginia to drink California wines. If I wanted Napa Valley, I’d visit my nearest Total Wine. Wine should have a sense of place, and that place shouldn’t have to be shipped in on a truck…
Loading ...Click here to vote The Other 46 as your favorite wine blog!
Great point! If wineries want to make a good wine from ‘foreign’ grapes that’s one thing, but a ‘local’ wine competition should be just that – local.
Please read my blog post about searching for the terroir of Wisconsin, I think you’ll get a kick out of it: http://www.eatdrinkordie.com/blog/posts/2205
This is an easy one… wineries should not even be allowed to produce wine with fruit from any state other than their own, never mind entering competitions with wines made with grapes from “foreign” states. That’s a very personal opinion of course and most will disagree with me, but that’s how I see it. I’ve written a couple of posts on my blog in regards to this subject. The latest one sort of touches on this topic.
Hi Palmer,
Thanks for the comment! I read your Wisconsin wine adventure! I have yet to experience the local Wisconsin terroir, but look forward to getting my hands on a few of the cherry wines. It’s amazing how many wineries have opened up in the last 5 years across the US. These wineries have a great opportunity to truly express their terroir to local consumers. I hope they will continue to make strides in their programs and move away from shipping in grapes. Cheers!
Marco, thank you for your insight. I will be sure to check out your blog!