In this, the second part of the series, we dive into the dizzying world of Monferrato. Moscato and barbera may reign, but it’s these multitudes of obscure and fascinating grape varieties that really keep wine geeks coming back for more.
There are no established rules for pairing wine with southern fare, since our founding influences are British and African and beer is much more commonly consumed.
These traditional elements of the Seder Plate have gone mostly unchanged for millennia. The one element that has changed the most in modern times is the wine on the table.
With roughly 2,800 wineries in the state of California—nearly half of the 6,000 total in the U.S.—that, by any measure, is some pretty steep competition. Though not all of the big, prestigious and luscious Cab, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay producers from Napa and Sonoma compete in the State Fair competition, enough do to make it interesting.