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American wines

The United States is the world's fourth-largest wine producer, and California made 80.8% of American wine in 2023. Napa Valley and Sonoma lead with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, followed by Oregon, Washington and New York. Origin is labelled by American Viticultural Area (AVA).

WineGuessr features 19 wines from the United States, in 4 regions. California has the most, with 15.

Wine history

Widespread winemaking began in New Mexico in 1628, and in 1769 the Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra planted California's first major vineyard near San Diego; Sonoma's first vineyard followed around 1805. National Prohibition, in force from 1920 until its repeal by the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933, wrecked the industry. The modern revival gained world attention on 24 May 1976 at the Judgment of Paris, a blind tasting organised by Steven Spurrier, where the 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa's Stags Leap District and the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay beat top French wines. In June 1980, Augusta in Missouri became the first AVA.

Wine regions and appellations

Wine is made in all fifty states. An AVA is a defined grape-growing area, and a wine labelled with one must contain at least 85% grapes grown there; there were 280 AVAs in August 2026. California dominates, with Napa Valley and its subzones Oakville, Rutherford and Howell Mountain, Sonoma's Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast and Alexander Valley, and further south Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles and Sta. Rita Hills. Oregon's Dundee Hills, Washington's Walla Walla Valley and Red Mountain, and New York's Finger Lakes are the main areas outside California.

Grapes and what to drink

American wines are usually labelled by grape. Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship of Napa Valley, where a 1973 Cabernet from Stags Leap District won the 1976 Paris tasting, and Chardonnay is the leading white. Pinot Noir comes from Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Sta. Rita Hills and Oregon's Dundee Hills. Zinfandel, the same grape as Italy's Primitivo, is grown in Lodi, Paso Robles, Russian River Valley and Howell Mountain. Washington's Walla Walla Valley and Red Mountain grow Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah, and the Finger Lakes in New York grow Riesling and Chardonnay. California's icon wines include Opus One, Screaming Eagle and Monte Bello from the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Wine regions of the United States

Grapes of the United States

Test yourself: American wine quiz

California: 15 wines

New York: 1 wine

Oregon: 1 wine

Washington: 2 wines

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Wine in the United States: questions and answers

Which US state produces the most wine?

California produces most American wine: 80.8% of the total in 2023. Washington, Oregon and New York are the next best-known wine states, and every state makes some wine.

What is an AVA?

An AVA (American Viticultural Area) is a legally defined grape-growing region in the United States. A wine named after an AVA must contain at least 85% grapes from it, and the first AVA was Augusta, Missouri, in 1980.

What was the Judgment of Paris?

The Judgment of Paris was a blind tasting held on 24 May 1976 in which French judges ranked California wines above French ones. The 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won the reds and the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won the whites.

When was Prohibition in the United States?

National Prohibition ran from 1920, after ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment, until its repeal by the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933. Many wineries closed during those years.

What grape is Napa Valley known for?

Napa Valley is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon, often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. A 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet from Napa won the red wine section of the 1976 Judgment of Paris.

Wines from other countries

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org

Last reviewed October 2026.