It wasn't that long ago that there was finally a winery in every state in the union, but it's still surprising when you run across a winery in an area you don't associate with wine.

That's how we felt when we discovered Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod during a recent trip there. The first surprise was they were open for tasting during mid-week after Labor Day. The next was the variety and quality of its wines, which was pretty good across the board.

Truro is located just south of Provincetown, which is the island's northeastern-most tip. The winery is located right off Highway 6 with signs clearly marking the turn-off.

The winery's ownership changed in March 2007, but they retained their winemaker. The new owner lead our tasting, which they did in a session as opposed to the more casual tasting rooms you normally find (that may change when the weather turns cold since the tasting was conducted outdoors).

The winery produces a wide variety of wines with grapes mostly purchased from growers in California and the Finger Lakes region of New York, although they do grow their own as well. The whites include a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Vignoles, which is a hybrid grape with flavors resembling a Viognier.

They produce a nice rosé called Cape Blush made from Cabernet Franc, which they grow on the estate.

Cab Franc accounts for 60% of the grapes they grow, which makes it no surprise that the wine we thought was the best was their 2005 Cabernet Franc. Nice and complex with earthy black cherry flavors, it shows nice craftsmanship and is great to drink alone or with food.

Other reds include the blends "Maritime Red" and "Triumph," which is the winery's flagship. They also produce two sweet wines: Cranberry Light and Diamond Light, which were fun to try.

The winery is small with limited distribution, but they do ship to several states now and you can order the wines online.

Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod
11 Shore Road
North Truro, MA 02652
(508) 487-6200