3 of the 10 Best Wines Challenging Preconceptions of US Wine are Cutting Edge Selections
Americans are rightly proud of the quality of our national wines, but it is easily to forget that this opinion is not widely shared among wine drinkers of other countries. That may be changing, however, as educational tastings of American wines are being hosted more frequently around the world
A recent article by David Kermode of The Buyer highlighted a tasting in London sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture and hosted by MW Victoria Stephens-Clarkson.
Read the whole article here.
David Kermode writes
To condense the four most significant wine regions of the United States into one morning was admittedly ambitious, but the choice of historically appropriate venue, knowledgable host and – most importantly – the smart selection, and diversity, of the wines selected for sampling gave the event a sense of coherence, where it might otherwise have felt a bit portmanteau.
“It’s easy to forget the sheer size of the United States, with these four wine producing states alone representing a landmass that is greater than the countries of France and Germany combined,” said Washington State Wine Commission‘s export supremo, Doug Marshall, “with the wild diversity of soils and climates both within each wine growing region, and across the country, it is no wonder that there is such a broad range of wines.”
Although tightly choreographed, the sessions succeeded in shining a light on that diversity, as well as imparting some key information, offering a broad introduction to each of the regions and even some specific detail on regional diversity, climate and terroir.
Of the 24 wines tasted, Kermode lists 10 wines that stood out. We were very pleased to see that 3 of the 10 were from wineries within the Cutting Edge Selections portfolio.
Forge Cellars Dry Riesling Classique
weighty for a Riesling, with rich, textured bruised apple, honey and ripe peach, spicy crumble notes and a finish that’s as long as one of those lakes.
Cristom Vineyards Pinot Noir ‘Louise Vineyard’
a relatively tightly focused Oregon Pinot, nervy, with raspberry and red cherry, bright acidity, a little black fruit coming through on the mid-palate and an earthy, mushroomy finish.
Hedges Family Estate Goedhart Family
a Bordeaux blend from Washington’s Red Mountain AVA, famed for its hot sunny days and cool nights, wild black fruit dominates with kitchen cupboard spice, dried oregano and a lovely earthy note.
We are quite happy to partner with wineries that are not only popular in Ohio and Kentucky, but that are competently representing the best of American Wine overseas.