Interest?

[Dick Peterson]

You've got to remember that most European varietals can't be easily grown in the northeastern US because of the cold winters. This limits the variety and volumes of the established "European type" varietal wines available for distribution. We can find an occasional "really nice" Merlot or Riesling or Chardonnay from eastern vineyards but mostly the eastern wines are more or less influenced by hybrids or blends with hybrids and/or Labrusca and Labrusca-like varietals. These have flavors that take some getting used to for the wine drinker who grew up drinking traditional European varietals.

Personally, having grown up in Iowa (where my first winemaking experience was with Concord), I always smile when I taste the rare DeChaunac that is really pleasing or one of the more delicate NY whites that are becoming more common.