Painted rock buttes near Grand Junction, Colorado loom over local vineyards.

Wine is made in nearly all states from Michigan to North Carolina, Colorado to New Mexico, but it is Texas, the Lone Star State, which has developed the most advanced wine culture beyond the seaboards. Given the size of the state, it’s not surprising that the vineyards are widely spread in often isolated areas. The search for ideal, cooler locations and suitable soils has led winemakers to plant vines in the high plains in the northwest, the West Texas Mountains, the Texas Hill Country around Austin and also in the Dallas and Fort Worth regions in the northeast. Rich Chardonnays, bold Cabernet Sauvignons, juicy Merlots, spicy Zinfandels and ripe fruity Sauvignon Blanc are among the roll call of grape varieties that are making their mark.

New Mexico, too, has a dry, hot climate that has been harnessed to produce wines since the times of the conquistadores, as does Arizona and both states have budding wine industries. In both regions winemakers have sought out high ground, such as the heights of the Rio Grande Valley and the mountains near Tucson respectively, to combat the heat of the south. At best the wines can show a purity of flavor and good varietal character and their reputation is growing.

Further north, Colorado has also developed a respectable boutique industry at high altitude where once again long, clear sun-ripening days are tempered by the coolness of height. The wines produced here typically find a ready local market with the influx of visitors but the potential for making quality wine that may one day become more widely recognized has been shown.

Elsewhere, Missouri, Virginia, Michigan and Ohio, each of which makes a small amount of respectable vinifera wine, are perhaps the most likely contenders to develop a bigger reputation into the future.  [ top ]