Is There Something in the Water?

Quick- think of states likely to produce great winemakers, especially Pinot Noir makers.

I bet South Carolina, home of Scuppernong and Muscadine, is not even a blip on the radar screen.

So now you know where I am going with this, right?

Here are just the Pinot Noir winemakers I know about-

Thomas Rivers Browne- his own brand is Rivers-Marie and he is involved in many other wine projects, including Schrader. High scoring wines.

Jamey Whetsone - Whetstone Cellars and Manifesto brand plus consults on other wine projects. Also highly regarded. Trained with Helen Turley.

Suzanne Hagins - Lutea Wine. Organic and biodynamic wines. Have not tried but reputed to be lovely wines. Also does some consulting work for other brands.

Another brand- the name escapes me- but backed in part by the bassist for Hootie and the Blowfish. New brand and have not tried.

Finally, my brand, Calicaro. Also a small scale artisan project. Yes, there are alot of small scale Pinot makers, a varietly that lends itself especially to this type if hand crafted winemaking. But nevertheless, this still seems unusual. And I would be willing to bet there are a few more that I am unaware of (let me know if you know any).

So what gives here?