According to the NYT, New Jersey is the fifth biggest wine-producing state in the U.S. And by next year, 40 vineyards will be in operation. Aside from wine snobs who dismiss the harvest as "Parkway Reds" and "Turnpike Whites," Jersey vintners are encountering problems with late springs, hungry deer and root-killing louse. But I say bravo! Even sparsely producing vineyards are a vast improvement over the Wal-Mart-Applebees-Jiffy Lube sprawl that has destroyed much of the state... "Bottled in New Jersey." It's got a certain ring to it. (as long as you keep the brown paper bag over the label)
And, closer to Rome, Italian winemakers are predicting a good year in volume terms for wines from the southern tip of the boot. That means Puglia and Sicilian reds will be in abundant supply, the best since 2001. But sadly, wine volume from the Veneto and Friuli (home to my favorite whites) will be down, while Le Marche will see no change in volume. No word yet on quality, I'm afraid. It's still too early.
No comments:
Post a Comment