Ice wine production with frozen grapes is shown at the L'Orpailleur vineyard in Dunham, Quebec. In late fall, grapes are picked and placed in suspended nets until temperatures fall well below freezing at which time they can be pressed. (David Boily/AFP/Getty Images)
Last week, we gave you a taste of five slightly obscure places a wine lover can seek out for a vacation of a lifetime. Here are five more.
6. New York Finger Lakes
If a visit to New York usually involves spending too much money in the Big City, consider a drive northwest to try some of the region’s superb rieslings, ice wines and, well, just about everything else. They boast more than 80 wineries around Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka Lake Wine Trails. Besides, how great could it be to come to the city for the weekend, then roll up to the Finger Lakes and spend the week trolling through beautiful scenery while exploring some really unique wines.
The barn, which dates back to the 1800s, at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard on Seneca Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region, is the site of the wine tasting bar, as well as storage of barrels in which some of their wines age. ( Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)
7. Washington
Each year, over 2 million visitors flock to Washington wine country. Those people know a good thing when they see it. Washington wines are in right now for all the right reasons. So a visit to Walla Walla or any of the 11 AVA’s growing tremendous wine and we’re sure they’ll yield good results for less money than NorCal. They have killer rieslings and amazing reds as well.
8. Canada
Why not go north of the border when the summer gets blazin’? Visit a winery in any of the 10 Canadian provinces and you’ll find passionate pioneers who are excited about the cold-weather challenges Canada faces. Not just ice wine, though one of the best reasons to come, Canada also uses the cool climate and produces stellar chards, pinots, and rieslings. Grapes for ice wine are supposedly picked on the coldest night of the year when the grapes have already frozen. They are picked by hand and each grape yields just a tiny, tiny drop of wine resulting in intense, sweet and more acidity than a sauternes.
9. New Zealand, Marlborough region
Okay, so this isn’t exactly off the beaten path or a wine lovers new place to explore. But I can’t help it. The wineries in the Marlborough region of New Zealand are doing fan-tabulous things. From the trademark sauvignon blanc to the beguiling Bordeaux-style blends, this is an awesome, awesome region. Okay, fine, go ahead and combine it with a couple of months of touring through Australia as well. We won’t mind.
10. The winery down the street from wherever your family lives…
American wine is shocking us lately by cropping up absolutely everywhere. New Mexico? Had a very interesting glass of it in December. Ohio? A Pinot Gris from Ohio won Best of Show in the American Fine Wine Competition. I have family friends who have started a vineyard in South Dakota. Virginia? Check. Missouri? Check. Nevada? Check. We’re fairly confident that no matter where your summer travels take you during that token trip back home, there’s probably a winery somewhere doing something pretty interesting. Now it’s up to you to go find it and let us know about it.
