But in the Piedmont region of the northwest, in the area called Le Langhe -- for its characteristic long, low vineyard-covered hills -- the thrills begin in September, not on the trees but beneath them, where dogs help hunters unearth the precious white truffle of Alba.
(Small Vineyards, Seattle).
But picked from low-yielding vineyards and vinified carefully, it can be transformed into a serious, intensely flavored wine with depth and a good acidic edge.
Down the road from Tabin, past labyrinthine ruins of old, mud-walled compounds, through lush fields of okra and low-growing vineyards, a collection of villages called Nagahan has been a focal point for U.S. Special Operations Forces since before the advent of the A.L.P.
In my case, I'm obsessed with vines from Chubut, in Patagonia; by new valleys that we are developing at high altitude in the province of La Rioja; and, going against the grain in Argentina, by low-altitude vineyards in La Pampa.
Thanks to an array of special effects, riders feel as if they are clipping the tops of landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and Yosemite, swooping low over the vineyards of Napa and gliding between buildings in downtown Los Angeles.
The drinks writer Victoria Moore seemed unbothered by the "news", citing the low cost of vineyards compared with the cost of wine, rising production outside Europe and the prediction that 2013 will see a seven-year high in production levels as little evidence that we're about to run out of wine.
Partly that's because the yields in the mountain vineyards are so low compared with even low-yielding vineyards in friendlier environments, which might produce two to two and a half tons of grapes per acre.
Everyone knows that low yields in the vineyards are the basis of all great wines.
