My acid-stripped tongue and throbbing gums aside, a recent 100-Riesling tasting at the Riverside (California) International Wine Competition was a mouthwatering reminder that great US wines are made in states not named California, Washington and Oregon.
Of the six unanimous gold medals awarded for Riesling, five were from outside the West Coast – three from New York and one each from Michigan and Ohio. Of the nine “regular” golds, six were from these states plus Wisconsin. The best of the golden bunch was the Chateau Lafayette Reneau 2006 Riesling from the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, an astonishingly...