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When exploring wine trails, California’s Napa and Sonoma valleys probably come to mind first. On the East Coast, New York’s Finger Lakes or North Fork, Long Island regions might rank high on a oenophile’s list. But instead, how about raising a glass of Merlot in Michigan, sipping on an Iowa Riesling or uncorking a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Lone Star State? Yes, really. Wine is now produced in all 50 states and some of them are quite good. Here are 10 less traveled U.S. wine trails to discover now:

ALSO: On National Wine Day we raise a glass to the best of Sonoma County

 

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Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail: Michigan

Wine grapes in Michigan have a solid footing. Along the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail the light, beach-like soil and lake effect climate has boosted the southwestern region’s production. Paralleling the Lake Michigan coastline, from New Buffalo through Holland, this sprawling trail features a combination of wineries and tasting rooms along various beach towns—perfect for turning a jaunt into aweekend road trip. In planning a potential tour, consider Dablon Vineyards, a newcomer that applies a trellis system in planting vines for producing everything from Chardonnay to Merlot. Also, Fenn Valley Vineyards bottles up whites, reds and sparkling and fruit wines.

Niagara Wine Trail: New York

Minutes from Niagara Falls, this New York State wine trail contains 22 wineries nestled between the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario. Thriving in rich, rocky soil and a cool climate that’s similar to the Alsace region of northeastern France in some areas, it’s no surprise that European vinifera wines like Riesling and Pinot Noir do well here as does ice wine, a dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. Consider stopping in Niagara Landing Wine Cellars, the oldest operating winery on this trail, producing 31 varietals ranging from dry to sweet and a unique hot pepper wine. There’s also Spring Lake Winery, a third generation family winery noted for its Merlot, Chardonnay and Riesling.

sedona-arizona

Verde Valley Wine Trail: Arizona

In the northern part of the state, to the south and west of Sedona, this 12-mile trail holds seven wineries and eight tasting rooms offering selections suiting various palates. The region’s rocky soil and sunny climate gives vines a push and a solid boost in flavors and concentrations. Think Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Go to Alcantara Vineyards and Winery, for scenery reminiscent of “Under the Tuscan Sun” and a selection of 100% homegrown specialties like their 2015 Merlot Rose and Viognier, along with various other dessert, red and white wines. Meanwhile, Fire Mountain Wines is a Native American majority-owned winery with a tasting room and diverse selection of white wines and other flavors crafted with Arizona, New Mexico and Central California grapes.

Texas Hill Country Wineries: Texas

With more than 350 wineries statewide, Texas provides quite the grape escape. Sprawling from Austin to Fredericksburg and Lampasas to New Braunfels, this particular viticultural area has a ton of locations—around 51 different vineyards and wineries—where visitors for a tasting. Becker Vineyards features an agricultural splendor that’s not just about maintaining wine grapes (they were the first in Texas to commercially plant viognier) but also fields of lavender and wildflowers. Some of their red and white wines have received accolades, including their 2014 Chevaux Noir, which earned a Silver Medal at the 2016 San Francisco International Wine Competition. 4.0 Cellars, meanwhile, is a collaboration involving three Texan wineries, in which all of their respective wines, plus Texas-made edibles, can be enjoyed.

arlington-virginia

Monticello Wine Trail: Virginia

Virginia has over 250wineries, but only one trail was inspired by America’s first noted wine connoisseur—the Virginian, Thomas Jefferson. The main author of the Declaration of Independence and our third U.S. President tried his hand at planting grape vines near Monticello before the American Revolution. His vision: to produce high-quality American wines equivalent to Old World counterparts. Though Jefferson’s project was—ahem—fruitless, Virginia’s winemaking production took off during the ’70s and ’80s. Nowadays, the trail is lined with more than 30 member wineries in and around Charlottesville. Start at Jefferson Vineyards, which stands partly on the land where the Founding Father first planted vines, or at Keswick Vineyards whose wines have won awards like the 2016 Virginia Governor’s Cup.

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Unicoi Wine Trail: Georgia

Boasting its own festival each June and an app available through iTunes, this Georgian wine trail nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains 80 miles north of Atlanta has vineyards and tasting rooms located a few miles apart from each other. Begin your journey at CeNita Vineyards & Winery, offering varietals made from the vineyard’s Cabernet Franc, Barbera, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin and Traminette grapes, which were first planted in 2008. End the trail at Yonah Mountain Vineyards, a 200-acre family winery at the southeastern base of iconic Yonah Mountain. Rolling hills and sandy soil provide the setting for the vineyard’s 17-planted acres of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

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Iowa Wine Trail: Iowa

As the oldest of Iowa’s seven wine trails, the Iowa Wine Trail treks along the state’s Northeast corner, particularly the upper Mississippi Valley. The route is quite picturesque too, snaking around scenic byways, river bluffs, trout streams and views of the Mississippi River. There’s another benefit to this scenery: this hilly country is well suited for soil irrigation and having the right amount of sun for producing grapes. Eleven participating wineries belong to this trail. TYCOGA Vineyard & Winery produces more than 20 types of dry, semi-sweet, sweet and dessert wines, while Wide River Creek Winery has clever names (like Ms. Chievous) for its whites, blushes, and reds.

Lake Erie Vines and Wines Trail: Ohio

Northeast Ohio, along Lake Erie’s south shore and within the Grand River Valley, possesses more wineries per square mile than any other region in the state and well over half of the state’s wine grape acreage. Partly due to lake effect, the region’s microclimate makes for producing fine Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chambourcin, and Chardonnay. As for trails, the popular Lake Erie Vines and Wines Trail contains 25 diverse wineries and vineyards. For example, South River Vineyard is located inside a century-old church and is saidto be the only vineyard in thearea to grow Merlot and Semillon. Grand River Cellars, meanwhile, earns nods for its Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, but also produces everything from Chardonnay to Cabernet Franc.

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Palisade Fruit & Wine Byway: Colorado

In Grand Valley, the town of Palisade not only lucks out with having scenic views of the Colorado River, but also a microclimate providing the right blend of nighttime coolness and dry air for grape growing. Divided into three loops, the Palisade Fruit & Wine Byway consists of 25 wineries, plus a number of fruit orchards and breweries. Head toAvant Vineyards, which produces small batch wines from grapes that are grown at the base of Colorado’s Grand Mesa, along the Colorado River. Also, long-timer Colorado Cellars produces various mead, fruit, port, dry red, semi-sweet and sweet wines. Plus, the scenery in this wine region makes for fun exploring not just by car, but also by bike.

Madera Wine Trail: California

California has a ton of wine trails that rival Napa and Sonoma counties and one of them is Madera. Described as being both an up-and-coming and historic wine region, this county’s 10-member trail is considered to be one of the oldest grape growing regions in the U.S. Vines were first planted in Madera over a century ago, and nowadays family-run winemakers have the lay of the land. Among them, Ficklin Vineyards specializes in port wines, with ruby, tawny, specialty and flavored versions, while Quady concentrates on sweet and aperitif wines like their Muscatos, Vermouths and Ports, plus an amontillado sherry.

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Tagged: California, Destinations, New York

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Michele Herrmann

Michele Herrmann

Michele writes about women's travel, destinations, culinary, and cultural topics for various outlets and has ventured as far as Fiji, to date. She also muses her tales on She Is Going Places.
Michele Herrmann

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