American Fine Wine

While wine is produced in all 50 states of the USA (that’s right, even Alaska), most of their output is of little interest to serious wine lovers. For our purposes, it is the West Coast that holds the most appeal, with the states of California and, increasingly, Oregon by far the most significant sources of fine wine.

Browse all American wines

California and beyond

California remains the most renowned haven of US fine wine, across a range of grape varieties, styles and prices. Some Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons rival the most famous wines in the world when it comes to ambition and price, but the state is also increasingly known for more nuanced fare – be that in terms of more complex, multi-dimensional Bordeaux-style reds from its Napa heartland, or via such styles as Sonoma Pinot Noir, Paso Robles Syrah, or cooler-climate blends from higher elevations in Santa Cruz. Such red wines remain the calling card of the state, but further afield, Chardonnay is a coming force in Oregon, which takes it cues from Burgundy in also producing fine Pinot (some of it courtesy of Burgundian producers who have invested in vineyards in the state).

Browse Californian Wine

American wine styles and grape varieties

The US doesn’t have strict appellations, with laws governing what can and can’t be grown, but it does have American Viticultural Areas, which demarcate wine regions geographically, and provide useful stylistic reference points. So while many people talk of Napa Valley as one holistic region, the Napa AVAs of Oakville and Rutherford, on the valley floor, tend to yield fuller, riper wines than those of Howell Mountain or Spring Mountain, where grapes are grown at a higher altitude. Elsewhere, notable AVAs to look for include Russian River Valley in Sonoma, west of Napa, which has forged a reputation for fine Pinot Noir; Santa Cruz Mountains to the south, home to elegant Bordeaux blends such as those of Ridge Vineyards; and Paso Robles, further south still, which is a hotbed for Syrah. In Oregon, meanwhile, Willamette Valley and Dundee Hills have pioneered the emergence of fine Pinot Noir in the state.

Browse all American Wine

American Wine FAQs

Aren’t most US wines just big, bold, Napa blockbusters?

Napa famously produces just 4% of California’s wines, but seems to carry the state’s vinous reputation with it. That’s largely due to its pre-eminence when it comes to fine wines, notably the powerful, rich, ageworthy Cabernets that dominate the landscape within the valley and have proven to be some of the most coveted wines in many collectors’ cellars. At the very top end, the ‘blockbuster’ stereotype was largely accurate back in the early part of this century, when the verdicts of uber-critic Robert Parker, who loved such

wines, held huge sway. Things have changed since his retirement, though – and not just because he’s no longer so influential. Critical and consumer tastes seem to be moving away from power towards elegance, while producers themselves have responded to concerns over the ageability of such wines by favouring acidity over ripeness and producing more nuanced, elegant fare (Harlan Estate, one of Napa’s top names, now harvests a month earlier than it used to, to avoid over-ripe grapes). Climate change has also had a huge impact, with many winemakers taking measures to mitigate the impact of higher temperatures in a bid to produce more restrained wines.

Which regions are interesting beyond California?

Oregon is without question the second most important state for fine wine, largely on the back of its Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. The wine revolution here came a bit later than Napa Valley’s golden age of the 1970s, with the late 1980s kickstarting a huge growth in plantings, not least after the arrival of Burgundian family Drouhin to the region. Since then, know-how, investment and confidence have all grown, with the sub-regions of Willamette Valley and Dundee Hills leading the way in terms of quality. Beyond Oregon, Washington State is the source of some increasingly lauded red wines, notably Syrah, the best of which can yield rounded, smoky yet elegant renderings.

American wine producers

The most famous American fine wine producers are largely based in the Napa Valley, where the most celebrated names are probably those who set up in the valley’s golden age of the 1970s – among them such luminaries as Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Joseph Phelps and Shafer. These trailblazers were followed by such ambitious wineries as Opus One, Harlan Estate, Dominus Estate and Colgin Estate, who took Napa wines to previously unimagined levels of prestige. More recently, producers such as Favia, Matthiason and Ashes & Diamonds have taken a more vineyard-led approach, starting as growers before developing their brand. In other Californian regions, Ridge Vineyards and Rhys Vineyards lead the way in the cooler Santa Cruz mountains, while Littorai, Kutch and Flowers are among the most notable producers of Pinot Noir in Sonoma. Meanwhile in Oregon, just as some Bordeaux producers expanded into California (notably the Rothschilds, with Opus One, and the Moueix clan, with Dominus) so Burgundy producers such as Drouhin and Méo-Camuzet have helped elevate the quality of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the cooler climate of Oregon.