My friend Eric Sneve knows and loves good wine, so I sent him this link to a brief article about Kentucky wine. Eric replied:

Red WineI have had great wines from Michigan. They say Llano Estacado (AZ or TX) makes great vintages. Thomas Jefferson was a total wine fanatic — importing lots of French wine and growing lots of vines at his Monticello estate in Virginia. NY is famous for its Finger Lakes region for Chardonnay. I think Long Island is also a player, Maryland and Idaho too.

So much depends on the microclimate, soil, and what the current growing season gives you. Minnesota is tough because the European vines (Vitus Vinifera) like longer growing seasons and freeze in our harsh winters. The University of Minnesota has created a lot of hybrids of Vitus Vinifera x Vitus Labrusca domestic US vines. They aren’t quite as tasty as the European varietals but do usually survive the winters and make acceptable wines. St. Croix vineyard and orchard will make you think you’re somewhere in Northern California. Well worth the visit.

You can find a some of these in the better local shops [Minneapolis/Saint Paul area]. There was a lot of talk about being able to order by web in or across state lines. Don’t know how or if that got resolved.

Best Kentucky ‘wine’ I have tried so far is Bourbon.

Cheers, Eric.