Wine Regions of America

California’s Napa Valley and Sonoma still hold the top spots as the two most famous wine regions in America. However, there are plenty of other wine regions across the United States whose ratings are excelling. Not only do these regions create world-class wines, but they have their wine festivals and offer wine vacation tours. The following lists are some of the best wine regions from across the nation.

 

Best Wine Regions of America

California

Speaking about American wine regions and not mentioning California first would be blasphemy. Sonoma and Nappa Valley are the role models followed by every other wine region in the country. Napa’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay have introduced the world to some of the finest wine labels from the North American continent. But California is not only about Sonoma and Napa. The wine region of Paso Robles, situated between Los Angeles and San Francisco, is slowly but surely turning into one of the prominent wine locations in the state. The vineyards from the Pas Robles wine region have a good number of award-winning labels. Their quality has been confirmed by many wine experts the world over.

 

Washington State

Washington State features fourteen American Viticultural Areas. Some of the most famous wine regions in the state are Columbia Walley and Walla Walla. Their wine expansion started in the early 60s when investors poured large sums of money in wine production within the region. Washington state exports wine to over 40 countries worldwide and nationwide is surpassed only by California. Some of the most popular grape varieties in the region are Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling.

 

Oregon

The Oregon region features a cooler climate than in California which makes it perfect for growing Gamay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. The Willamette Valley wine region is the ideal place for any wine taster that wants to try something new and exceptional. Their Pinot Noir wines are internationally famous.

 

New York

North Fork and Finger Lakes are wine regions within New York State that have attracted the attention of wine lovers from all over the country, as well as worldwide. Finger Lake is considered as a birthplace for the East Coast type of winemaking. There are over four hundred wineries in the New York wine region.

 

Virginia

Winegrowing is a long-standing tradition in Virginia, one that dates from its colonial days. The Virginia wine region is also known for its wine growing season that lasts 200 days. Linden and the Barboursville are two of the most famous Vineyards in the state. There are more than 250 wineries in Virginia.

 

Texas

There is nothing small in the state of Texas. That also applies to the Texas Hill Country wine region that spreads over nine million acres. Texas has a sunny and dry climate that is perfectly suitable for varieties like Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Albarino, and Tempranillo.

 

Ohio

Ohio’s winemaking tradition is well-recorded and dates since the 1820s. All the way to the mid-1860s they were considered as the best winemakers in the nation. Their Catawba variety places them on the world map. However, winemaking received a big blow during the Prohibition Era. Not only they lost their top spot as a winemaking region, but they never fully recovered, regardless of their winemaking tradition. Nowadays, there are just over a hundred wineries in Ohio. The Markko Vineyards are considered as the best in the state.

 

Pennsylvania

The Waltz Vineyards is Pennsylvania’s prime winery. Other than the Waltz Vineyards, there are other 120 wineries and five AVAs. Thanks to that, the state of Pennsylvania wine tourism is continuously on the rise.

 

However, the ones mentioned here are not the only states with great wine regions. States like Colorado, Illinois, Arizona, Idaho, and North Carolina are the home to some exceptional vineyards. The best way to see how good their wines are is to book a wine tasting weekend.

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