Paso Robles, California
Just returned from a visit to Paso Robles, California. See my tasting story on cellartracker. https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=42827&searchId=07224095&UISource=list We visited Daou https://www.daouvineyards.com/, Torrin https://www.torrinwine.com, Denner dennervineyards.com, McPrice Myers http://www.mcpricemyers.com, and Tablas Creek https://tablascreek.com/.
Paso Robles wines are big. Lots of flavor. The wines are not inexpensive but for California they are not expensive especially considering the quality. The critics love the 5 wineries that we visited. Torrin was an exquisite experience and the tasting room was beautifully set out but we thought the wines to be a bit over hyped.
Denner is in a scenic location and we found that their wines have the most terroir of the wines we tasted.
Tablas Creek is a personal favorite and they have a huge variety of wines from an astounding assortment of grapes. Their wines are also the most reasonable.
Daou is also in a scenic location. However it has been discovered and it can be very crowded on weekends.
Paso Robles wineries are experimenting with all kind of grapes and blends so it has to generalize about the wines. Reds using Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mouvedre, and whites with blends of a number of grapes including chardonnay, viognier, granache blanc. There also many serious roses. The quality of the top wineries is exceptional.
Finger Lakes, NY
Winery of the week- Anthony Road https://anthonyroadwine.com/ in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. I have mentioned them before.They sell their wines at the Union Square farmers market on Saturdays throughout the year. Their wines flavorful, light, and great to drink. Especially love their rose of Cabernet Franc and Rieslings. Their wines are in the 12% alcohol range and very price friendly as most wines are under $20. A winery home run.
Cape May, New Jersey (no it is not a typo)
Lately I have been finding very good wines made in NY and NJ. We recently visited Turdo Vineyards and Winery https://www.turdovineyards.com/ in Cape May, NJ. They make an amazing assortment of wines such as Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Albarino and Sauvignon Blanc. The wines we tasted were all very good. All of the grapes are grown in South Jersey. The wines are expensive.
The wines of the Northeast are generally lower in alcohol than California wines - shorter growing season. However if you can find good wineries, the wines are very food friendly and great for sipping on a hot summer day. They can be expensive which can be frustrating.
Enjoy.
