United States Wines
Hello! Welcome to my website. My name is Glenn and I have been a wine enthusiast for many years. My wife of 40 years loves wine just as much as I do! We have tried wines from many parts of the world, but we agree that wines from the “U.S. of A.” are the best. In fact in 1976 in a “blind tasting” called the Judgement of Paris, two almost unknown wines from Napa, California beat out two of France’s most well known wines.
My wife and I have had the pleasure of visiting many wineries in several states over the years. As much as we would love to visit them all we know that it would be impossible. Well, I decided that if we can’t physically visit them, we could visit them online and share my experiences with you. That is the purpose of this site. I will visit all 50 States and their wineries and hook you up to them with links to wine trails, individual wineries and any wine tours I can find.
Most people know that France and Spain are two leading wine producers in the world. However, many of you would be surprised to know that there are many varieties of the United States wines that have the same quality as French or Spanish wines. The United States is now the fourth largest wine producer in the world behind France, Spain and Italy.
The history of wines in the United States dates back to hundreds of years ago. Early settlers from Spain and France were the ones who started wine production in the United States. In 1799, wine was started to be produced commercially in the US. Since then, wine becomes part of the American culture.
In the past decades, many American universities conducted various researches on grape types and winemaking techniques in order to enhance the quality of wines produced in the US. The researches found many new varieties of grapes and grape hybrids that best suit the climate in the United States.
These new varieties of grapes and grape hybrids help to enhance the quality of the United States wines and now the wines from the US are as good as, or, in my opinion, better than French and Spanish wines. Every state has at least one winery, but there are three regions that dominate in wine production.
United States Wine Regions
1.California
California is the leading wine producing region in America. It accounts for nearly 90% of the wines produced in the United States. California also has almost 45% of the nation’s wineries.
2. Washington and Oregon
Washington and Oregon contribute about 4% of total wine production in this country and account for about 16% of the wineries. Although red wines are produced in these two regions, white wines are the dominant wines from these regions. Most of the vineyards in Oregon and Washington focus on Chardonnay.
3. New York
New York also contributes about 4% of total wine production. The wine regions in New York range from Long Island to Finger Lakes
Although the United States wines are available across the country, taking wine tours is the best way to enjoy wines. There are many travel agents that provide wine tours for three regions mentioned above. Through wine tours, you will learn how climate and culture have huge impact on the taste of wines and you will also be brought to visit vineyards and wine cellars of well known wine producers. You will also see every single step on how wines are produced.
During the past decade, there are many wines from the United States that won several international wine competitions. With the intensive researches and experiments, the United States wines are heading toward becoming the leading wine producer in the world.
If you want a more in depth look at the United States Wine industry, check out the 2 links below. There is a lot of great information.
(1) A History of Wine in America by University of California Press.
(2) U.S. WINE INDUSTRY- 2011 by Donald A Hodgen/U.S. Department of Commerce at trade.gov