Wines Around the World

United States

There are vineyards in just about every state in our nation. Winemaking came here with the Europeans who were accustomed to having wine with their meals. The first winery in America was founded in Pennsylvania right after the revolutionary war. After that, Ohio was the big winemaker. But once Spanish missionaries started growing European vines in California and realized the near ideal conditions that existed there, the wine industry found its American home.
Just about every imaginable type of wine is made somewhere in the United States. It is, after all, a big place. While many states produce wine, most of the great North American wines come from California.
Following is a list of the major wine types and the areas known for making them well:

Cabernet Sauvignon:
Napa Valley
Sonoma Valley
Alexander Valley (in Sonoma County)

Chardonnay:
Napa
Sonoma
Santa Barbara

Pinot Noir:
Carneros (southern Napa/Sonoma)
Santa Barbara

Sauvignon Blanc:
Napa
Sonoma

The main advantage California wines hold over French wines is in the production of fireplace wines. These are wines that are great on their own, sipped in front of a fireplace. French wines, both good and great wines, are made to be enjoyed with food. The California sunshine brings the grapes to fuller ripeness, making for a more full-fruit, low acid wine.

American wine labels are required to indicate the geographic region of the grapes. In general, the more specific the area on the label, the better the wine.
The more general the label, the less exceptional the wine. American wines that call themselves Chardonnay must be at least 75% Chardonnay. The same goes for every varietal. One innovation California winemakers have used it the term "Meritage." This is the name for blends of the major grapes to produce a French-style wine. According to US law, it cannot be named after a grape, so rather than calling it "red table wine" as it is not of that quality, they call it "Meritage."

While an overview of North American wine must focus on California, the Pacific Northwest should not be left out. Oregon, Washington, and even Idaho produce very good wines. While all three of these states produce less wine than California, these northern states enjoy some advantages.

First, the economics are better in Oregon and Washington. The California wine boom has sent prices for good vineyard land sky high in that state, while quality grape growing land is affordable to the north.

Second, the climate to the north makes for better growing conditions for certain grape varieties. For example, the Cabernet grape loves the warm California sun and the Pinot Noir grape prefers the cool growing season in Oregon. While California produces plenty of Chardonnay to go around, Washington excels in production of cold-weather varietals such as Chenin Blanc and Riesling. French wine producer Joseph Drouhin paid the highest compliment to the Oregon Pinot Noirs by buying land there to start his own state-side production.