A Guide to American Wine

When we think of USA made wine certain American regions come to mind. In this guide we’ll share everything you need to know about American wine including its history, how it compares on the world stage, and the best wines the land of the free has to offer.

America is a vast country. America is a vast wine producing country! In this (not so) brief guide, I want to outline some of the most prominent wine producing regions across the US to give you a good introduction into what it has to offer. I’ll cover California, Oregon and Washington across a range of styles and I’ll even throw in a recommendation for each variety to get you started. Before we delve into each region however, there are a couple of (not so) small matters to address first.

Is American Wine Better Than French?

Whilst the US is steeped in wine making history, the quality of its wines has often been seen as inferior to its French counterparts. That was until the spring of 1976 when British wine merchant Steven Spurrier decided to host a blind tasting in Paris. He gathered the foremost French wine critics of the day and asked them to taste a variety of Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays from France and USA respectively. The judges were told that they could assess each wine in whatever manner they wished provided that they stick to a 20-point score system.

It was billed as a David vs Goliath spectacle and not even the American winemakers thought their wines stood a chance against the mighty Mouton-Rothschild or Meursault Charmes Roulot. Guess what happened?

American Wine Outperformed French Wine in a Competition

Wines from the USA topped the rankings in both red and white classes to the astonishment of the judges. Stags Leap Cellars 1973 topped the Cabernet Sauvignon category and Chateau Montelena 1973 bested the greatest Chardonnays from Beaune. It went down in infamy as the Judgement of Paris.

There was pandemonium. One embarrassed judge asked for her tasting notes back and, after being refused, she went on to slate Steven Spurrier and call the whole thing a fix in her magazine. The head of the appellation contrôlée authority in France, who had been one of the tasters, was asked to resign by his peers and the French press poured scorn on the whole affair.

France VS USA Wine: Which is Better?

A new tasting was organized in 1986 to see if both sets of cabernet Sauvignons would age well. The French were confident they’d win this time but not only did an American wine win again (Clos Du Val Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 1972), the rest consolidated their positions in the standings!

A final tasting was organized in 2006 as a 30^th anniversary celebration with many of the great wine critics in attendance. All of the same Cabernet Sauvignons were entered into the competition and American wines trounced their French counterparts. The victory was complete, American wines had come of age.

Of course, the matter of whether North American wine can be considered better than French is subjective but it is undeniable that some of the most exciting wines in the world right now are American. Even as I write this article, my wine rack is dominated by both French and American wines and I’m struggling to pick a winner between the two, I simply love both!

What American Wine is like Bordeaux Wine?

Given that we’ve made some useful comparisons between French and American wine, we should also explore what American wines are made in the style of Bordeaux reds. California and Washington are most renowned for their Bordeaux styles with Californian single varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot being popular. We can’t overlook Washington either with their Bordeaux blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Syrah being among the finest wines produced in America. The tasting notes of most of these wines read exactly as if you were drinking the best from Bordeaux with many of them tasting just as good at a fraction of the price! We will discuss each style in greater depth as we explore each region and rest assured you will find some absolute gems.

Can American Sparkling Wine be called Champagne?

The second elephant in the room! The shortest answer is not exactly, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. The French have always been keen to protect the good name of Champagne and, having been irked at the production of “Domestic Champagne” in California from the 1860’s onwards, inserted a clause in the Treaty of Versailles stating that only sparkling wine from the Champagne region in France can be called “Champagne”. Both enemies and allies alike were expected to adhere to this clause with most participants on both sides accepting and ratifying the treaty.

The US signed the treaty but it was never ratified in the senate which allowed American wine producers to continue to call their sparkling wine champagne.

Initially, this wasn’t a problem as prohibition kicked in but after repeal and following the second world war, the newly formed The Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) were forever hounding US congress to change its position on the use of “Champagne”. Most US wineries respected their French counterparts and labelled their sparkling wines as something else entirely but there were a few wineries such as Korbel who steadfastly refused to change their labels.

US and Europe Sign a Treaty Over Champagne

Fast forward to 2006 when the US and Europe signed a trade agreement in which it was agreed that all sparkling wines produced in the US could not be called “Champagne”. There was a catch, however. The US inserted a grandfather clause which meant that any American winery that used the term “Champagne” before the trade agreement was signed could continue to do so. This meant that Korbel & co. were allowed to carry on!

That being said, even the traditional champagne houses see the potential in American sparkling wine with Roederer, Mumm and Chandon all having vineyards and producing outstanding examples in California.

So, now that we’re through annoying the French, let’s look at some of the styles that the US is most renowned for.

California Wines

If California was considered a country, it would be the fourth largest wine producing country in the world! Over 80% of all wine made in the US comes from California. The region is vast and offers a range of microclimates that allow varying styles of the most popular grapes to be produced. California is split into smaller regions, the North Coast, Central Coast, Central Valley and South Coast though many of the American Viticultural Areas (AVA’s) we’ll discuss will be found in the North and Central Coasts.

Oregon Wines

Oregon’s wine producing regions are directly north from California and are split into two regions: Northern Oregon and Southern Oregon. Northern Oregon has the largest concentration of wineries with Willamette Valley being the most prominent AVA. Southern Oregon is a touch warmer than the north but there are areas that are tempered by the cooling breeze of the Pacific Ocean, allowing varying styles of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris to be produced.

See also: Where to go Wine Tasting in Portland

Washington Wines

You could be forgiven for thinking Washington has a cool, wet climate that is unsuitable for grape growing. There are actually a number of areas where grapes thrive such as Columbia Valley where winemakers are able to take advantage of the long, warm, sunny days. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the most prominent red grape varieties with Chardonnay being the most widely planted white variety. Look out for Washington Bordeaux blends too as they’re some of the finest examples anywhere in North America.

See also: 7 Wine Weekend Destinations Within 5 Hours of Washington DC

So, there you have it. A (not so) brief guide to some absolute gems from the very best wine producing states across the US!