Recently, Jessica Dupuy, a contributor to forbes.com and Texas Monthly, was tapped by book publisher Infinite Ideas to contribute to its Classic Wine Library series, which profiles both benchmark and lesser-known regions, from Burgundy and Rioja to Greece and Georgia (the country). Dupuy’s entry is The Wines of Southwest U.S.A. and includes wine regions in New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and – you guessed it – Arizona.
Dupuy writes about each region’s history, climate and personalities with precision and erudite research. In my opinion, hers is one of the most well-written books about the Arizona wine industry thus far – a juggernaut of an effort. She voices some familiar assessments about our state: “Arizona impresses me with the quality of wines and cohesive identity the industry has put forth in such a remarkably short amount of time… although there will always be struggle and dissension within any industry as it makes its way, I think Arizona producers have done an amazing job at working together and trying to establish a clear direction.”
She was also surprised by our diversity. “Seeing each of the three main growing regions… was really eye-opening,” she writes. “Each [was] surprisingly unique and distinctive, which put a lot of things in perspective for me. It will be really exciting to taste the regionality of the wines coming from each of these places in the coming years.”
As someone who has skin in the game, I’m enchanted by the spotlight shining upon us. Dupuy has most definitely earned her place in my shelves. And for the rest of you wine lovers, this is not only a great window into our state, but also our neighbors. Get a copy at jessicadupuy.com or on Amazon.
