steven@tifsie (01/06/86)
I am sure that Don Barry MUST have been joking in his meager albeit familiar\ attempt at belittling Californias viniards. A FEW of the statements Don made may have had SOME grain of truth hidden somewhere a a few decades ago, but the simple fact is that Masters all over the world (I'm not familiar with any in Georgia) have been raving about California's vino for years now! As for climate, California covers such an extreme North/South range coupled with the Coast and Sierra mountain ranges as natural climactic barriers that to make such an uneducated statement as "it's too hot" or "the soil is unsuitable" is simply preposterous! The simple fact of the matter is that Californias wine growing regions cover a BROADER (and inclusive) range of climates than France. I might suggest that anyone who wishes to compare the abilities of the Californian vinyards with those of the rest of the world avoid "specialties" of a particular region(s) and stick with a grape that has a broader spectrum. Compare Firestone's Pinot Noir with that of ANY of it's European cousins and (if you have an open mind) you can not help but be delighted. This wine is complex enough to shatter any arguments that a few "stick in the mud" tasters may still be trying to form against Californias wine (now living there is a whole nother story!) for whatever obscure reason(s) they might have. "Have a Grape Day!" -Steve