WHAT IS AMERICAN WINE? BASIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT US WINE

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What is American wine?

American wine is wine produced in America since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, winemaking is done in all fifty states, with California producing 89% of all American wine. The United States is the fourth largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain and France.

Basic knowledge of American wine

The United States is the fourth largest wine producer in the world, and California alone accounts for 90% of the wine produced in the United States, so California can be considered a superpower in the wine industry. The Prohibition of Alcoholic Beverages makes the sale of alcohol in the United States a complex business and threatened by constraints in various respects.

Prohibition is a law that applied throughout the United States to the manufacture, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages between 1920 and 1933.

It took much longer for Americans to accept wine than one would expect in a country shaped by immigrants from countries with a tradition of wine production and consumption. Recently, thanks to the Millennial fascination with grapes, the country has finally overtaken France as the largest wine market in the world.

In the US there is no equivalently accredited denomination system like the French AOC, but they do have American Viticultural Areas (AVAs that officially define the geographical area of wine-growing regions; some such as Washington State’s Columbia Valley is vast (11 million acres and incredibly diverse.Other places, like Stag’s Leap County in Napa Valley, are smaller and more homogeneous.

California

[Red grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, Pinot Noir; White grape varieties: Chardonnay (France), Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris]

California is a major player in the wine world. Grapes are grown in abundance in the sunny Central Valley and wines are sold under the California name along with the name of a well-known brand and/or producer. Winemakers E&J Gallo govern the winemaking operations in this region and they are the largest wine producer in the world. (Gallo also has quite a bit of market share in the luxury wine segment.) The wine regions mentioned below, in relative order from north to south, are the more unique wine regions in the California territory.

Mendocino

This is the area where folk songs and popular wines appear a lot and is also the area that has applied organic technology the earliest. In the pine forests of the Anderson Valle region are vineyards planted in cool climates that produce delicate sparkling wines and intensely aromatic Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines.

Sonoma

Sonoma County, located to the northwest of Napa county, has its own pride in being “they’re not Napa” – so it’s less frivolous and plain. Some of the vineyards in Sonoma are located in the coolest climate zones in the state due to the Pacific Ocean bordering the western side of the Sonoma Coast AVA viticulture region. extremely large. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay dominate as these have long been produced in the warm inland Russian River Valley, where the wines are rich in flavour. To the north (still warm inland) lies the Dry Creek Valley famous for its old Zinfandel grape variety, several vineyards of Italian immigrant origin, and the vast Alexander Valley with its varieties. Premium Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Napa

In the early 1970s, Napa Valley was a simple agricultural region but today it has become the most glamorous wine region in the world. Napa Valley is fortunate to be endowed with wonderful elements that form an attractive combination, that is, beautiful natural scenery, bright sunshine, natural and regular temperature regulation due to being located next to The San Francisco Bay, the unlimited financial resources that come from Silicon Valley to the south, and countless successful American entrepreneurs and businessmen eager to invest their hard-earned fortunes to fulfill their wine dreams, have made Napa has become a magnet for tourists.

On the weekends, traffic jams at a crawling speed, but the beautiful scenery, wine tastings and restaurants can make up for the inconvenience. Vineyards located to the south near the Gulf have a colder climate. So the Carneros region, which straddles the border between Napa and Sonoma counties, is a cold climate and has been on the radar of producers of sparkling wines as well as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

A little north from there are wine regions bearing appellations originating from the sub-regions, most famously Stags Leap, Oakville, Rutherford and St Helena , because of the power of the Napa Valley name. Many bottles of wine bear the names of the sub-regions of origin. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape variety in the cultivation of this area and the grapes grown here produce some of the most seductive wines by harvesting ripe grapes that give a sour taste. and is less acrid than Bordeaux wines and does not need to be blended with milder Merlot.

Sierra foothills

The former mining district on the way to the Sierra Nevada no longer has many vines but still has some old vineyards, especially Zinfandel vineyards, and the region produces wines with a rustic character. Village. The topography here is very different from the manicured and well-maintained lawns of the Napa Valley.

South of the Bay

Some of California’s finest and longest-lasting wines are located in isolated and lofty regions in the Santa Cruz Mountains region between Silicon Valley and the Pacific Ocean. The Salinas Valley Wind Tunnel located in the southern part of Monterey County is an area that cultivates all kinds of crops on an industrial scale including vines.

Many different grape varieties are grown here, but perhaps the most attractive wines are made from Pinot Noir grapes grown in the highlands of Santa Lucia Highlands , Chalone (note the differences between the regions of origin. Chalone AVA and trademarks are being used more freely) and the pioneering Calera estate at Mount Harlan AVA.

San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara

The Central Coast is California’s largest AVA viticulture region. It stretches 250 miles from San Francisco Bay to the east of Santa Barbara, so the areas described in the Southern portion of the Bay are also part of this region. In colloquial parlance, however, Central Coast is often used to imply the massive expansion of large commercial vineyards planted south of Monterey in the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

During the Missionary period in California’s early history, San Luis Obispo was considered the producer of some of the state’s finest wines, but the region’s viticulture has only recently seen a dramatic revival from the past. 1980. To the north of the San Luis Obispo county is Paso Robles , a relatively warm, sometimes alarmingly dry inland region known as the other Rhône that is seeing massive viticulture.

To the south of this area is the cooler climate Edna Valley AVA, which is a wine growing region developed by agribusinesses, and More limited viticulture is Arroyo Grande which has the star Talley vineyard.

Santa Barbara County got on the wine map in 2004 thanks to the movie Sideways. Far to the south, Santa Barbara is a land of cool climates influenced by the Pacific Ocean – and nowhere is the cool weather, fog and sea breeze in the middle of summer more felt than in the middle of summer. in the 2001 AVA Sta.Rita Hills wine region (Chilean winemakers Santa Rita insists on abbreviating this place name) is located a few miles back from the coast.

As you move from here through the Santa Ynez Valley AVA wine region, you’ll see a rise in temperatures allowing the easternmost Happy Canyon region to fall within the wine region. AVA wines can produce rich red bordeaux blends. There is always competition between the Santa Ynez Valley and the Santa Maria Valley to the north. The Santa Maria Valley is fairly flat and has a cooler climate.

It has extensive vineyards including the Bien Nacido Vineyard, which spans 2,000 acres (8 square kilometers) and is well maintained and surrounded by fruit and vegetable crops. Between Santa Maria and Santa Ynez are numerous vineyards surrounding a small town called Los Alamos. Most of the grapes here are shipped north for bottling and labeling of California’s major winemakers.

Oregon

[Red grape variety: Pinot Noir; White Grape Varieties: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay]

Just like Sonoma is not Napa, Oregon is famously not California. The Pinot Noir grape variety has long dominated this region. Oregon’s climate is much colder, murky and wetter, and the region’s winemakers are smaller and less commercial. Sustainable production methods were introduced in this area quite early despite the pressure of diseases due to the influence of the humid climate.
The heart of Oregon is the Willamette Valley where vineyards are surrounded by fir trees. Pinot Gris was originally the grape of choice for a small number of white wines, but the quality of Oregon Chardonnay is becoming increasingly appealing like its Burgundy counterpart.