It’s The Grocer’s latest article from our wine expert, Neil Hodgson, this week Neil is talking USA wines!
We are used to seeing wines from many countries on the supermarket shelves, but one wine-producing country that hasn’t had a big presence in New Zealand is the USA. That, however, is changing.
It is quite remarkable that wine is produced in almost every state in the US, including in harsh environments like Kansas where there are about a dozen producers, however we are far more familiar with key wine producing regions like Oregon, Washington State and California where there are about 3,500 wine producers making it by far the largest American wine region.
As more wines from the US start appearing on our shelves, thanks to importers like Dhall & Nash, they are mainly from a number of regions on the American west coast including California, and The Grocer at Fresh Choice Nelson has a very nice selection on the shelves.
Because the climate in California is quite similar to New Zealand’s the wines are similar too, especially the Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Merlots, wines perfect for drinking at this time of the year.
One of my favourite wines is the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay that retails for around $26, it is a lovely rich style wine with plenty of oak influence so if you like a full-style chardonnay you will love this.
Another producer, Bogle from California, has some fantastic rich red wines in their stable and considering they come from so far away I think they are excellent value for money, you can buy very good wines from as little as $19.99 a bottle and you will find some outstanding examples for less than $30. One that caught my attention recently was the 2013 Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel for $19.99, a saving of $5 and packed with black berry and sweet black cherry fruit flavours with delightfully smooth oak tannins, perfect autumn drinking.
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