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Granted, some of them do seem to think Switzerland is a suburb of Luxembourg, but our knowledge of their country is often imperfect too. Well, mine is anyway, as I learnt a few years back when trying my first wine from the country's Pacific North West.

Assuming the region to consist of nothing but numberless spruce, black bears and Bill Gates, I was taken aback by an Oregon Pinot Noir I was given to taste.

Anticipating some sort of joke along the lines of British sherry, it proved to be not merely OK, but actually the sort of delicious, elegant stuff that makes you feel sophisticated just by flowing into your mouth.

Given that British access to American wine usually begins and ends with California, my surprise at the wine's quality wasn't that, well, surprising. Few of us get to find out that parts of the Pacific North West have fantastic conditions for winemaking, with some surprising similarities to the products of key French areas.

Like the excellent Vosges region, the eastern part of Washington State and Oregon is in the rain shadow of a mountain range (the Cascade chain), providing good, dry conditions, sometimes so dry that irrigation is necessary.

Like Burgundy, the climate is also continental (unlike the largely maritime wine regions of California), with greater extremes of heat and cold only moderated by the influence of rivers. The region doesn't just share a climate type with Burgundy, it's also on the same latitude.

Perhaps too much has been made of this fact (Kazakhstan is also on the same latitude, and that's hardly a wine paradise), but it is true Oregon in particular has adopted Burgundian varieties with great success. Specialising in Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, the region's best wines marry a New World fruitiness with an Old World acidity and expression of local terroir.

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir in particular have become fetish objects for some wine buffs, with complexity (and prices) that rival their French counterparts at the top end. On Oregon's northern border, Washington State actually produces more wine, but, perhaps due to its extremely promiscuous adoption of a wide range of varieties, hasn't managed quite as much international recognition.

Pacific North West wines are rare in this country, but still easily acquired if you buy online. As a starting point for trying out Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Wine Direct does a great Erath Oregon Pinot Noir 2006 at £12.95, a richly coloured, light-bodied wine packed with plenty of plum and black cherry flavour, plus the odd hint of sweet spice and herbs.

Meanwhile, Zelas.co.uk sells a delicious Stimson Lane Chardonnay 2006 from Washington State at £9.99, a pretty good deal considering the level of quality. It mixes sharp, refreshing citrus and green apple flavours with doses of richer peach and apricot, with a subtle bit of oaking adding hints of vanilla, but not overly toning down the wine's fruitiness.