California’s wines have lost fans thanks to their saccharine, over-priced offerings. But a new wave of growers is showing that its wines are more interesting than they’ve been for years Sundowner: Napa Valley, California. ‘Wine drinkers outside the USA only ever got to taste the sweet, industrial and ludicrously overpriced rubbish,’ says David Williams. California’s wines have lost fans thanks to their saccharine, over-priced offerings. Moobuzz Pinot Noir, Central Coast, California, USA 2013 (£17, Roberson Wine) When did California wine get so interesting? Many Californians would say it always has been, it’s just that wine drinkers outside the USA only ever got to taste the dross: sweet, industrial and ludicrously overpriced Bordeaux-on-steroids rubbish. Either way, over the past couple of years a lot of good West Coast stuff has been trickling into the UK. It’s still a bit pricey – it’s hard to find a good Californian under £10. But a pair like the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir made by Moobuzz are nonetheless very good value for the quality, the fluently juicy pinot comparing favourably with similarly priced New Zealand pinot, the luminous and fresh chardonnay on a par with good new-wave Australian takes on the white grape.

Varner Foxglove Zinfandel, San Luis Obispo County, California, USA 2014 (£17.95, Stannary Wine) It’s not just Moobuzz that is offering something other than syrup and alcoholic heat in the £10 to £20 bracket. At a recent tasting of around 150 Californian wines available in the UK’s independent wine merchants, I was impressed once again by the wines made by the Varner brothers under their more affordable Foxglove label. I’ve written about the brightly fruited but incisive Foxglove Chardonnay (£17.95 for the 2014 vintage, Stannary Wine) in these pages before, but the gorgeously svelte, succulent, silky zinfandel was new to me – very different from the heady power chords offered by so many versions of this quintessentially Californian grape variety. This is zin for pinot lovers, with a nip of Italianate tanginess that is very good with Italian-accented red meat dishes. Ruth Lewandowski Gibson Ranch Naomi Grenache Gris, Mendocino County, California, USA 2015 (£29.99, Les Caves) If California still does much of its business with the established likes of cabernet, pinot, chardonnay and zinfandel, there’s plenty of experimentation going on with lesser-known varieties.

Hobo Wine Company makes a deliciously light and easy-drinking, Rhône-like red – Parts & Labor 2015 (£14.95, Armit Wines) – from a blend of grape varieties including Italy’s barbera and southern France’s syrah, grenache and carignan, while Forlorn Hope Trousseau 2015 (£34.99, Les Caves) uses the eponymous Jura variety for a paradoxically light (in colour and alcohol) but intense, tangy, herbal, earthy red, and Ruth Lewandowski conjures a fascinating full dry white mix of baked apple and minerals from Mediterranean grenache gris.best sweet red wine brands Follow David on Twitter @Daveydaibachbest place to drink wine in france Create your free accountred wine gift ideas I agree to Shutterstock's Website Terms, Privacy Policy, Licensing Terms and to receive emails that I can opt out of at any time.best wine bars australia

Already have an account? Create and organize lightboxes on the go with your Apple or Android device.CLEVELAND, Ohio a A handful of wine books that came out in 2016 crossed our desk. Thereas a huge range between whatas offered, from general guides (becoming a wine expert, or Hugh Johnsonas pocket guide) to more focused ones (Champagne, volcanic wines). best red wine to drink for health benefitsMost do a good job at demystifying wine, something we always need, and something that more and more writers are doing on a regular basis. cost of wine in indiaAny of these are worthy holiday gifts or for reading as you sip a glass of your favorite varietal. best nz wines 2015Here are our brief summaries.best wine storage in nyc

Here’s our annual guide to wine books released during the year. The 2016 releases covers a variety of topics. By Alan Tardi, Public Affairs, 264 pages, $26.99.The book focuses on the House of Krug, taking a narrative approach to tell its story and to rejoice in sparkling wine. best wine country in new zealandThe author embraces the rich history of Champagne, writing that it always has been a status symbol, while dropping a healthy array of terms that don’t seem overwhelming in Tardi’s clean writing style. From remouage to debourbage, you’ll learn something about this classic wine. By Patricio Tapia, Sheridan Books Inc., 960 pages, price N/A.This massive guide – translated as “uncorked” – focuses on wines of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. Summaries include a rating system for the wine quality at each winery. The comprehensive guide first came out in 1999. By Jancis Robinson, Abrams Image, 112 pages, $12.95.The pre-eminent wine critic strips away the intimidation factors of wine and offers a clearly written, extremely approachable primer.

It covers basics on how long to keep wine, myths to dispel and more. She sums up the overriding theme: “There are no rights or wrongs in wine appreciation. I can explain how to get the most of out of a glass of wine, but it’s up to you, not your supposed ‘wine expert’ friend, to decide whether you like it or not.” By Hugh Johnson, 336 pages, Octopus Publishing, $16.99.The handy guide – marking its 40th anniversary – packs a lot in its pages by dropping the point size down to sports-page statistics-like size. It’s organized by geography and acts as a smart glossary. It relies on abbreviations, which it lays out in the beginning to help the reader navigate through the pages. It’s definitely a book that will continue to be updated because of vintages being added. But consider yourself warned if you can’t find your reading glasses. on August 24, 2016 at 6:19 PM, updated So maybe this will open some eyes to the potential of Albarino in the region. The white grape with its roots deeply buried in Spain's production history won Maryland's Governor's Cup, the state's most prestigious wine competition.

Results from the July competition were announced Monday, with Boordy Vineyards' 2015 varietal finishing atop the heap.  It's the fourth time that Baltimore County winery, the oldest operating in the state and one of the oldest on the East Coast, has won the Governor's Cup since the contest originated in 1991. Here's the list of winners through the year. "The Albarino has been very well received by our customers, and thus far quite successful in competition, having won "Best of Class" in the Comptroller's Cup [held in Maryland in May], and now the overall top honors in the Governor's Cup," Boordy president Rob Deford wrote in an email Wednesday afternoon. "It's an exciting variety in many respects: it's proven quite resilient in the vineyard, is fruitful, and has a naturally bright acidity when it is fully ripe. A number of varieties lose their acidity as we wait for physiological ripeness, so this is a distinct advantage in our climate. I think it might also help with disease resistance, but we are relatively new to the variety and there is much to be learned."

Crisp, versatile Albarino set for weeklong international toast In a region where wineries have been around long enough to learn what grows well here and what doesn't, Albarino has come along as a "second generation" planting. Success has accompanied it, with Maryland wineries such as Old Westminster and Black Ankle finding a growing interest in a white that offers minerality and zestiness and, in many drinkers' vocabulary, a taste of fresh pineapple. Albarino has found other homes on the East Coast outside Maryland, including at   Allegro in southern York County and The Vineyard at Grandview in Lancaster County. John Cifelli, general manager at Unionville Vineyards in central New Jersey, said they like the wine they made for a time out of Albarino grapes sourced from the Jersey shore. "Albarino ... not given enough of a chance in the mid-Atlantic," he wrote in an email Wednesday. "Unionville made one for about 3 years and it was lovely, but the vineyard that we bought the fruit from, Atlantic Gardens in Cape May Co lost its financial backing and the vineyard is no longer tended.

Boordy has bucked the trend of a competition that largely has settled on red wines for its Best in Show winners. It won in 2001 for its sweet Riesling called Eisling, and then in 2006 for its Vidal. The winery also won in 2010 with its Landmark Reserve, its premum red blend. Slideshow offers peek at Boordy Vineyards' past, present and future Since 2002, a red wine has won Best in Show 13 out of 14 years, with Boordy's Vidal in 2006 being the exception. "Given the very good quality of many reds now being produced in Maryland, it was something of a surprise that our Albarino won the show, but definitely not a disappointment!" "I think this confirms that the judging is not locked into a preordained outcome, but is on an earnest quest for the best wine. I believe Albarino has a very promising future in our region." Here's the list of Best in Class wines, including the Cup winner. Best White Blend: Turkey Point Vineyard * Lighthouse White 2015 (Cecil Co.)Best Rose: Crow Vineyard * 2015 Barbera Rose 2015 (Kent Co.)

Best Red: Catoctin Breeze Vineyard * Estate Cabernet Franc 2013 (Frederick Co.)Best Red Blend: Linganore Winecellars * Cabernet Reserve 2014 (Frederick Co.)Best Fruit: Big Cork Vineyards * Black Cap NV (Washington Co.)Best Cider: Great Shoals Winery * Hard Strawberry 2016 (Montgomery Co.)Best Dessert: Big Cork Vineyards * Vidal Ice 2014 (Washington Co.) You can find the full list of winners here. If you want to purchase the wine, you'll likely have to visit the winery north of Baltimore. Deford said that while Boordy has a Pennsylvania winery license, it doesn't plan for the moment to apply for a license to ship its wines. "We are currently licensed as a winery in PA since that is what previously required in order to ship wines to PA customers, of which we have many," he said. "The new law would be simpler, but there is an advantage to having a PA winery license in that we can participate in PA wine festivals, which helps promote our wines that are carried by the PLCB. So, our future direction is most likely to stay with the status quo."