Montana Wine

Montana, one of the 50 United States of America, is located in the north-western US, bordered to the south and west by Idaho and to the north by Canada. The state covers 83,500 square miles (215,500 square km) and stretches between the northern latitudes of 42 and 49 degrees. This places it at almost precisely the same average latitude as the wine-growing regions of France.

As indicated by the state's name (Montana is Spanish for 'mountain'), the landscapes here are characterized by mountain ranges, around which two of the state's main industries (logging and mining) are based. The most notable of these are the ranges of the central Rocky Mountains, in the central section of the state, but there are a number of other ranges in the western third. The prevalence of hillsides and slopes created by these ranges might seem ideal for quality viticulture (many of the world's most famous wines are produced from hillside sites), but the cool, often unpredictable, climate here does not widely favor viticulture.

Despite the general unsuitability of the Montana terroir to viticulture, the variation of mesoclimates created by the topography here has created small pockets of potential vineyard, some of which have been now been discovered and exploited. Just as the early vignerons of Europe sought out suitable vineyard sites in and around hillsides and valleys, so Montana's wine future rests in the discovery and maximization of these sites.

The traditional grape varieties which appear to do best in the cool Montana climate are Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. This is fitting, as these are the grapes most widely grown in the most northerly vineyards of France, with which Montana shares its latitude.

In 2010 the Montana range of wines from New Zealand were renamed 'Brancott' (the name of their home vineyard) to avoid confusion with wines from Montana state.