America

Varietals -- wines made entirely or mostly from the single grape variety named on the front label-- are the most prominent type of American wine. Most of the great American wines are varietals, and a growing number of wines made from Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir are challenging their European models on sheer quality.

Ratings for the very best Cabernets match those for the best Bordeaux. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir may not quite match the very best Burgundies, but dollar for dollar they compare favorably. One of the hottest categories is Zinfandel, which in the 1990s came into its own as a profoundly distinctive red wine. There is no European counterpart. Cult favorites made from Syrah, Sangiovese and Viognier are beginning to penetrate the mainstream.

As the quality goes up, alas, so does the price. Good values can still be found in two areas: good wines made from less popular grape varieties and well-made, mass-produced wines from big wineries.

Traditionally, the best buys are generic wines, those that used to be labeled "Chablis" or "Burgundy" but now are more often simply called table wine. But some of the largest wineries in California and Washington have also found success selling Chardonnay and other well-known varietals for about $10 to $12. When these are carefully made, they can represent excellent value. How do the winemakers do it? They use grapes from less-prominent regions, age the wine in barrels already used once for the expensive wines or blend judiciously to make good wine at a fair price.

Smart buyers know that top-ranked Riesling, Gewürztraminer and, to a lesser extent, Sauvignon Blanc cannot command the prices Chardonnay can. These can be crowd-pleasing white wines, full of fruit flavor and personality, but they have not yet achieved the recognition they deserve.

Lesser-known regions often present some of the best values. Names such as San Luis Obispo and Sierra Foothills in California lack the cachet of Napa and Sonoma, so their wines carry more appealing price tags. Vineyard land in Washington and Idaho is cheaper that land in California, which makes it possible for those states to price good wines attractively. As a generalization, Washington does best with Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sémillon, its top wines emphasizing lovely fruit flavors that few other regions of the world can match. Oregon focuses on Pinot Noir, the best of which do as good a job of emulating red Burgundy as anything does, and Pinot Gris, which tends to make a soft, fruity, almond- and floral-scented, easy-drinking white wine.

Unfortunately, wine regions elsewhere in the United States have yet to establish that sort of track record. Capricious weather is one factor that makes it tough for very good wineries in Virginia, New York and Texas to match the quality-price ratio California and Washington can achieve. Eastern wineries can turn out distinctive wines, but the prices tend to be higher than those of similar-quality wines from the west.

Relatively untested grape varieties that are new to the United States do not necessarily offer good values. Recent enthusiasm in California for Rhône varieties (Syrah, Mourvèdre, Viognier) and Italian varieties (Sangiovese, Nebbiolo) has translated into interesting wines - at high prices.

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