Incredibly vast, varied in landscape and containing a number of distinct climates within its bounds, the United States of America delivers a wide range of wines from a diverse grape pool. A relative newcomer, given that the winemaking Vitis Vinifera grapes were only introduced by European settlers in the middle of the 17th century, the US has quickly established itself amongst the global wine elite.
From Alabama to Wyoming, from the big-city buzz of the east coast to the laid-back vibes of the west, from the fruit-driven Symphony varietals of Hawaii to the salmonberry ‘wine’ of Alaska, across each of America’s fifty states, the cultivation and vinification of fruit is practised in one form or another. However, one state reigns supreme above all others. Accounting for nearly 90% of national production, California is credited with almost single-handedly propelling the US wine industry to greatness. But the road to commercial success has been rocky to say the least. Imported European varieties initially suffered in this foreign environment, with viticultural pests such Phylloxera having a destructive impact on the vine. In the 1920s, Prohibition brought a constitutional ban on production and consumption of all alcoholic beverages, thus essentially closing down the wine industry. And, at the end of the decade, the famous Wall Street crash ushered in the Great Depression, which meant that even once prohibition was repealed in 1933, demand for wine remained limited, and production largely consisted of cheap, so-called ‘jug wine’ for the masses. Only really during the last half century, has the industry begun to develop the high-quality varietals and blends for which it is now internationally renowned. Today, the United States is the fourth largest wine producer in the world, behind France, Italy and Spain. Its growers cultivate an area of around 445,000 hectares which subsequently produce in excess of 18 million hectolitres of wine per year. As well as the acclaimed Californian AVAs (American Viticultural Areas - essentially the US equivalent of the European appellation), Washington and Oregon in the west, and New York in the east, are also home to a number of truly world class wine regions. Non-surprisingly, given its size as well as its topographical and climatic diversity, a huge number of different grapes thrive in America’s vineyards. Chardonnay remains the most planted of the winemaking varieties with large representations in California, where it produces wines strikingly different to the French offerings from the same grape. It is also distinctive in that it is the only one of the top five grapes which is used to make white wines. The remaining four (in order of vine share) - Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Zinfandel - all produce reds. Cabernet Sauvignon - the variety which established America’s reputation as a serious wine nation - dominates red plantings particularly in California where it delivers both exquisite varietals and blends in a typical Bordeaux style. Notoriously difficult to cultivate, Pinot Noir has seen its plantings (and sales) continue to increase in the cooler regions of the west coast (perhaps owing to its being the ‘love interest’ of Miles (Paul Giamatti) in the film Sideways); Merlot (maybe on account of the same film) is in slight decline having seen significant growth in the 1980s and early 1990s - it remains however, the fourth most planted grape nationwide. In addition to the plethora of European varieties which now flourish here (often grafted onto native rootstock), the US has also engineered a number of hybrid grapes which are largely disease-resistant and / or can grow in particularly hostile environments. Over the last few decades, the United States has secured its status as one of the world’s great wine nations. And whilst it's international reputation rests largely on the rapid growth and success of the premier Californian regions such as Napa Valley, other less well-known AVAs are beginning to rise to prominence.
