Napa wines needn’t be the benchmark. Let’s appreciate what other regions do well, too.

For white wine, Virginia excels in petit manseng, a grape that produces fruity wines of high acidity in a range from dry to sweet. You don’t find these wines anywhere else — even in its native southwestern France, petit manseng is a minor player in blends. In Virginia, it excels. My favorites are Michael Shaps, Horton Vineyards and Early Mountain Vineyards, and there are many more. The vermentino from Barboursville Vineyards is better than many I’ve tasted from Italy, but the grape hasn’t really caught on in Virginia. Sauvignon blanc and albariño have, and they do well here.

Source: WP