(Wines&Vines) - Second mid-Atlantic tasting event showcases alternative wine styles

Rohrersville, Md.—In this country we often tend to think of wineries not by a region, but by the state in which they are located. Sometimes identity by state is useful, but often the wineries in southeastern Pennsylvania have more in common with those in Maryland and New Jersey than they do with wineries in the Appalachian Mountains or along Lake Erie that are also technically in Pennsylvania.

 The Mid-Atlantic region is many thousands of acres in size, and extends from the Hudson River Valley and Long Island southwest through New Jersey and southeastern Pa. into Maryland, Virginia, and even north-central North Carolina. The region has a similar climate: cold winters, late spring and early autumn frosts, warm/hot and humid summers, and the threat of hurricanes arriving just before or during harvest. Obviously, there are variations within the region as well; for example, it is cooler to the north and at higher elevations and the track of hurricanes occurs more frequently closer to the Atlantic coast. Soils vary, and specific site location is critical.