(HuffingtonPost) - "New Jersey was a revelation."  Linda Murphy is talking about wine.  American Wine to be exact, which is the name of the book she has just co-authored with Jancis Robinson, a Master of Wine and leading authority on all things grape related around the world.  Linda is a well-respected wine writer and was most recently the wine editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, and now writes for Decanter and is the west coast editor for Jancis' website JancisRobinson.com.

In the months and years leading up to publishing of American Wine:  The Ultimate Companion to the Wines and Wineries of the United States, Linda did most of what Jancis calls "the heavy lifting."  She traveled across the country, seeking out unfamiliar varietals in states not known for making quality wine, in what Linda and Jancis have come to call "the other 47."  These are the states where wine is being made outside of the big three, California, Oregon and Washington.  Wine is now made in all 50 states (yes, even in Alaska where they make fruit wine and also buys grape juice from other states) and there are now more than 7,000 wineries across America.