 |
| Alluvia, near Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa (where I got engaged ... aahhhh) |
One of best things about being from South African is that you grow up with lots and lots of really good affordable wine (and we don't have to wait until the ridiculous age of 21 to start drinking it). The wine growing region in the Western Cape is also incredibly beautiful and is without a doubt my favourite destination in South Africa. I would choose an afternoon on a wine farm over a day at any one of the famous Cape Town beaches, every time. In South Africa we love our own wine so much that I had never really thought about, or tried much wine from anywhere else. It surprises me that many people I've met here in America have no idea that South Africa is a wine producing country. We are the 9th biggest producer of wine, predictably beaten out by France, Italy, Spain, U.S., Argentina, Australia, Chile and Germany.
 |
| International wines abound |
Living in America has given me the opportunity to sample wine from all these countries, including my own, for about the same price as a bottle from California. Every wine store stocks as much international as local wine and you can buy some great Spanish and South American wines as well as some inexpensive Australian options at Walmart (not in Pennsylvania though). Californian wines are sometimes quite pricey but are usually really good. I have every intention and much desire to visit the famous Napa and Sonoma Valleys but have not yet had the opportunity. Instead I have explored wine where I have lived.
We lived in State College, Pennsylvania for 2 years and only managed to visit the immediate local winery, Mt. Nittany Vineyard & Winery, once. It was quite early on before we had a car, but for our wedding anniversary we took a taxi there and then walked a few miles to catch a bus back (because we spent our return taxi money on wine).
 |
| Not a bad way to spend an Anniversary |
We had a lovely time there drinking wine by the lake, taking in the fall foliage on the trees that smother Mount Nittany and the distant Tussey Mountain. The setting really is quite delightful but the fact that we never ventured the 7 miles there again, even once we acquired a car, speaks for itself. I quickly understood that places not famous for wine were usually not famous for a reason and why anyone in wet, humid Pennsylvania would even consider making wine is beyond me. That's not to say that I won't pick up a bottle from time to time purely for sentimental reasons (it's not undrinkable) but if you are ever weighing up getting something from PA vs something from CA, I would go with the latter.
 |
| White Water Lily |
Mt Nittany Winery is not alone in producing wine in Pennsylvania. There are actually 123 wineries in PA, 80% of which arose in the last 30 years and they make Pennsylvania the 7th biggest wine producing State in America. I read that Pennsylvania offers some of the best growing conditions on the East Coast and with all those incredibly 'famous' wine producing regions on the East Coast I'm not really sure what the point is there. But with all my apparent negativity I was still beyond myself with excitement when I discovered that there was a wine festival (featuring
only Pennsylvanian wine) at Longwood Gardens. Longwood Gardens, in Eastern Pennsylvania near Philadelphia is one of my favourite destinations in America and is, as they say on their website, one of the greatest gardens in the world. All I can say is that if you can go there, DO!!!!!
 |
| A prized Chardonnay |
And so we drove for three hours, my dear designated driver husband, my drinking buddy/wine expert, Hanna, and I. While Ivor roamed the gardens, Hanna and I meticulously tasted our way through as many of the wineries as possible in search of a decent PA wine. There were some truly awful wines, some ghastly fruit flavoured specimens, a lot of average table plonk and, thankfully, a reasonable amount of rather decent stuff. I actually bought a number of bottles but have unfortunately now drunken them all and for the life of me I can't remember what they were, so I have no recommendations to share.
 |
| Right at the edge of Cayuga Lake |
My next wine adventure reminded me why it's always good to make friends with people who live in interesting places. (I'm taking friendship applications from anyone living in Seattle, Crete and Monaco at the moment). A good friend, from upstate New York invited us to a weekend at Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes. They are a collection of thin (hence the name Finger) lakes, a beautiful destination and home to more than 100 vineyards. Cayuga is the longest lake and claims to have the first Wine Trail in the United States.
There are 15 Wineries along this trail which have garnered over 5300 national and international medals so I was certainly expecting a treat.
 |
| Who needs a GPS? |
With a little research our group of 5 University friends decided on which wineries we wanted to visit. We started the day with a tasty picnic prepared by our host's father at Swedish Hill Winery, one of the top award-winning wineries in New York state. It was a good plan to line our stomachs before we set out on the ambitious task of tasting our way through 6 wineries in one afternoon. It was a fantastic day of tastings, I can think of no better way to spend a day. I love everything about a day out like this, from the planning, to the map reading, the careful selection of wines to taste, the scribbled notes which become increasingly unreadable as the day progresses, the ease with which your credit card slides through machine after machine while your load becomes heavier to carry. To me, it's just perfect!
 |
| Goose Watch Winery overlooking Cayuga Lake |
I found that while this area offers some delightful white wines there was something lacking in many of the reds. Normally I look forward to tasting the more expensive older red wines but as we ventured from winery to winery I became most fond of the incredible dry Riesling. My favourite Winery of the day was Knapp, which is certainly where I spent the most money. It was such an enjoyable day and I fondly remember the humourous way we tried to decide who had bought what, when we unpacked the cases of wine from the car the following morning.
 |
| My heart leaps at such a sign |
Our most recent wine adventure occurred in our very own Potato State. Yes, hard to believe, but Idaho does in fact make wine, actually good wine. The main wine making region is in the South Western part of the State, nestled between the Rockies and the Snake River and at least it is not humid and rainy like Pennsylvania. They have only been growing grapes in Idaho since the '70's but it is quickly becoming an area of interest.
We took a tour of some of the Wineries with a fellow South African couple. We started our Idaho Wine Experience at the Snake River Winery Tasting Room which is in downtown Boise. The vineyard itself is situated 'in the sticks' in Parma, Idaho (bet no-one's heard of it?) , so it is really convenient to have the classy tasting room / gift shop in an accessible spot. Complimentary tastings also make it all the more inviting. The wine is rather nice but it's also available in most Idaho Supermarkets so it wasn't an undiscovered gem.
 |
| I am ever so grateful to designated drivers |
Our next stop was Cinder which is located in Garden City. This venue demonstrated the clear difference between the word 'Winery' and 'Vineyard' which I had, up to this point, thought were interchangeable. We arrived at a warehouse in the most uncharacteristically named town. There is not one breath of green anywhere in 'Garden City' and it's certainly not a city, but rather a mostly forgettable town. We ventured into the warehouse somewhat skeptically but discovered a charming tasting room. We were informed that the grapes are taken from a number of vineyards in the Snake River Valley which allows the winemaker, Melanie Krause to source only the best. The wines were outstanding and the Dry Rose was truly memorable. Well Done Melanie!
 |
| Yes, I climbed up there all by myself. |
We then headed onto a Boutique Winery &
Vineyard, Woodriver Cellars, where we savoured a scrumptious picnic and some of their award winning Malbec. The grounds were beautiful and we indulged in our lunch perhaps a little too long resulting in the chance to visit only 2 other wineries in this area that afternoon. The wine region is fairly spread out and its takes some time to get between these previously unheard of, but now treasured Idaho towns (Nampa, Caldwell, Eagle and Kuna).
 |
| Outside Koenig Winery in Caldwell |
I love a wine adventure and while none of these places can ever possibly replace my beloved Western Cape I'm certainly glad they are here and I'm really looking forward to some Californian wine adventures later this year.
