Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/490558
{ SOMMjournal.com } 93 { SOMMjournal.com } 93 Yadkin, because unlike in Bordeaux it can fully ripen here. Who are the ones that do not? Those who chose grape varieties with strong brand recognition over suitability to climate. Virginia offers a great example of how bright the future of East Coast wine can be. It is admittedly a small wine-producing state, with just over 3,000 acres of vineyards, and yet it pro- duces a large number of very high-quality wines. Yes, there is a fair amount of Chardonnay, and a good number of Cabernet Sauvignon blends, but the most memorable wines I tasted on a recent trip were made from Petit Manseng, Albariño, Tannat and Petit Verdot.These wines are not just good, they are some of the most exciting domestic wines I have tried in a while, from either coast. Completely unique and delicious, they have, dare I say, a sense of place. There is no doubt that California has fantastic examples of terroir : Montebello Vineyard and Cabernet Sauvignon, Hanzell Vineyard and Chardonnay, Storybook Vineyard and Zinfandel— the list is now very long. These grape-to-land relationships have developed over a long enough time to prove their symbiotic nature, their sense of place and singularity in the world of wine. However, the roots of those relationships are still quite shallow compared to those in the European winemaking regions from which they draw inspiration. The wines of those regions are the products of thousands of years of experimentation to find the right grape for the right terroir. At one point Gamay battled Pinot Noir for dominance in the Côte d'Or, and Petit Verdot was king on the Left Bank of Bordeaux until phylloxera. The great classic European wines of today would not exist without trial and error. In all cases the parties involved took a chance in an effort to find the right fit, and after decades and sometimes centuries, they did. We have had the benefit of European experience and our own technical prowess in the vineyards and cellars. In comparison to Europe, we have been on the viti-vini-cultural fast track. Can great wine be made all over the United States? Yes, but in order for that to happen we have to broaden our drinking habits, quiet our biases and practice patience. PHOTO COURTESY OF RAFFALDINI VINEYARDS & WINERY PHOTO: JENNIFER ROSER PHOTO COURTESY OF MCRITCHIE WINERY A signpost in the vineyards at North Carolina's McRitchie Winery points the way to more famous wine destinations. Vermentino in the Raffaldini vineyards. Maximilian Kast is Wine Director at The Fearrington House in Pittsboro, NC. Previous to starting at The Fearrington House in 2007, Max was Food and Wine Director of Triple Creek Ranch in Montana, one of the United States' most highly-rated luxury resorts. As Wine Director, Max has helped The Fearrington House restaurant attain Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux and Forbes Five Stars. Max is an Advanced Sommelier currently holding the Theory Portion of the MS exam and actively pursuing the other two portions. He was nominated as a rising star Sommelier by StarChefs.com in 2013 and was first runner-up in the TopSomm 2014 National Finals.