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The United States is the biggest wine-producing country outside Europe, and the fourth in the world after France, Italy and Spain.
edit Facts and figures
California accounts for 90% of the national wine production. However, wines of great variety are commercially produced by federally-bonded wineries in all fifty states, with the last state to join the wine industry (in 2002) being North Dakota.
edit History
The first European settlers quickly noticed the presence of wild vines thriving on the borders of American woods. Their grapes were very sweet, but their strange taste made them useless for the production of European-style wines.
Many of the early American vintners tried to grow imported European grapes, which quickly dehydrated and died in their new environment. Two of the Founding Fathers, Washington and Jefferson, were among the first to import European grapes, without success.
European vines had no chance in the American ecosystems. Winters were too harsh in the North, while the hot, wet summers of the South gave way to many unknown diseases. Phylloxera was everywhere, and only local vines could resist it, having developed a natural resistance over time.
Quality wines were finally produced by American vintners with the development of new varietals, thanks to numerous breedings --accidental or not-- between European and local vines.
Vintners have been active in the US since the first colonies, especially in New York, Virginia and New Jersey.
American wine came to prominence only after the Civil War, using dozens of new varietals well adapted to different regions. The very strong Concord grape, created in 1854, quicky became a varietal of choice in the winegrowing belt of the Northwest, from Michigan to New York. Both Carolinas and Georgia chose to grow their own indigenous varietals, especially Scuppernong whose slimy juices produce unique wines, radically different from the European model.
Things were different on the West Coast. Winegrowing quickly developed there with the painless introduction of European varietals by the early Spanish settlers. The first commercial California wines were produced in the late 18th century. Imported European vines didn't encounter any of the problems they faced on the East Coast, and quickly spread along the coast up to Sonoma. By the 1850s, winegrapes had entirely conquered Northern California.
During the 19th century, two separate industries operated in the US, isolated on both coasts. California reached a golden age near the turn of the 20th century, before suffering a disastrous epidemic of phyloxera.
The darkest years of the American wine industry came with the Prohibition, from 1918 to 1933. Many wineries were forced to close, and the remaining active vintners survived by producing "sacrificial" wine for the Church or resorting to the black market.
Despite all these problems, American winegrowers finally achieved success in the 1970s, after years of technical innovation, new varietal developments, and a great deal of experimentation. For thirty years, US consumers have shown more and more interest in wine, which is now produced in all 50 states.
edit Geography
edit Climate
edit Viticulture
edit Appellation system
- American Viticultural Area or AVA: official appellation system introduced by the US gov. to certify wine origins. AVAs vary greatly in size; they can cover several states or a small valley.
- State Appellation: every US State has an official appellation, which vintners can use to certify the origin of their wines.
- County Appellation: certain wine-producing counties also have their own appellation.
edit See also
