🇺🇸UNITED STATES 


USA IS–  AVA.- 262(As of 2022)     States- 50 (Wine Made In Every State.)

GEOGRAPHY HEMISPHERE-Northern, COUNTRY-United States, LATITUDE: 34°- 49° N(Contiguous USA.)

  • BORDERS-Canada(North), Mexico(South), Pacific Ocean(West), Atlantic Ocean(East)
  • Sub-Zones-  Pacific North-West
    • California   |   South-West USA.
    • South USA.   |   Central USA.
    • Atlantic North-West USA.   |   Atlantic South USA.
  • **Refer to These Locations For Detailed Information On Sub-Zones.

TOPOGRAPHY  Flat/ Rolling/ Hilly/ Mountainous/ Valley/ Terraced

  • **Refer to USA. Locations For Detailed Information On Topography.

SOILS Metamorphic, Volcanic, Sedimentary

  • **Refer to TERROIR/ Geology & Soil For Detailed Information On Soils.

CLIMATE Maritime, MediterraneanContinental

  • **Refer to USA. Locations For Detailed Information On Climate.

VITICULTURE (36% White/ 64% Red)

  • #4 Country In Grape Production, #3 Country In Wine Consumption In World.
  • VITICULTURAL  DISCLAIMERAVA’s/ Grape Growing Areas In America Have Been Receiving Their Official AVA. Titles as of 1983 the First Being Agusta AVA. and Then Napa AVA..  I Don’t Care When the Wine Growing Area Gets Its Official AVA. Designation,  I Care When and How Long the Area Has Been Growing Grapes That Produce Wine.

VINICULTURE

  • 75% Percentage of Grapes Required to Be Labeled Single Varietal Wine.(Oregon 90%)

HISTORY Wine Cultivation In United States Started In the 1600‘s.

  • 1607 @Virginia Viticulture, First Vitis Vinifera Vines Planted by English Settlers at Jamestown.
  • 1770 @California Junipero Serra & Franciscan Missionaries Planted Vineyards at Missions From San Diego to Sonoma.
  • 1769 @California Junipero Serra Planted Grapes at Mission San Diego de Alcala.
  • 1780’s @California Junipero Serra and Missionaries Planted Vineyards at Missions From San Diego to Sonoma.
  • 1774 @Virginia Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Estate Planted Cutting From Italy, France and Spain.
  • 1776 @Philadelphia Madeira, Claret and Muscat Drank After Declaration of Independence.
  • 1812 @Fort Ross Viticulture, Russians Immigrants Planted Vines.
  • 1821 @California Mexican/ Spanish War,  Independence, Missions Become Less Religious and More Agricultural.
  • 1825 @Washington Viticulture, First Vines Planted by Settlers.
  • 1826 @California Joseph Chapman Started First Commercial Grape Growing In Los Angeles.
  • 1830 @California Nicholas Longworth, First Commercial Winery Los Angeles Called El Aliso Vineyard.
  • 1834 @Sonoma Historic Winery, First Vines Planted at Mission of St. Francis.
  • 1836 @Yountville Viticulture, George Young Planted First Vineyards In Napa.
  • 1843 @Fort Vancouver Viticulture, Hudson’s Bay Company Plants First Vine In Oregon.
  • 1843 @Umpqua On Oregon Trail
  • 1848 @Sierra Gold Found, Gold at Sutter’s Mills, Influx of European Settlers.
  • 1848 @California Mexican/ American War,  American Wins California.
  • 1849 @California Gold Rush, Brought Prosperity and With it the Spread of Population and Vines.
  • 1849 @California Haraszthy, Buena Vista *Brought 165 Varietal From Europe.
  • 1850 @California Officially Becomes a State In America.
  • 1850 @America Trans-Continental Railroad, Connects California to East Coast.
  • 1850 @Oak Knoll Joseph Osborne Planted 1,800ac. In Oak Knoll.
  • 1854 @Napa John Patchett, Open Napa’s First Official Winery.
  • 1854 @Calastoga Historic Winery, Alfred Tubbs Build and Plants Chateau Montelena.
  • 1855 @Buena Vista Agoston Haraszthy- Build 1st. Grandiose Winery “Started” California Wine Industry.
  • 1856 @Alexander Valley Cyrus Alexander Plants First Grapes In Alexander Valley.
  • 1857 @Sonoma Buena Vista, 1st. Commercial California Winery.
  • 1860 @California End of Gold Rush, European Immigrant Miner Become Grape Farmers.
  • 1861 @St. Helena Charles Krug, Plant Vines, Established Charles Krug Winery.
  • 1862 @Europe Governor Appointed Haraszthy Head of a Viticulture Trip to Europe.
  • 1862 @St. Helena German Jacob Schram Establishes Schramsberg Winery.
  • 1873 @Sonoma First Pinot Noir Vine Planted at Rochioli Estate.
  • 1870 @California Economy, Becomes Top Wine Producing State In America.
  • 1873 @California Phylloxera Epidemic, Starts, by 1881 All Portion of California Effected.
  • 1873 @Sonoma First Pinot Noir Vine Planted at Rochioli Estate.
  • 1873 @California Phylloxera,Phylloxera Outbreak, Effecting Vitis Vinifera Grapes.
  • 1874 @St Helena Joseph Ghisletta, Plants Sunny St. Helena Winery.
  • 1876 @St. Helena German Jacob & Fredrick Beringer,  Establishes Beringer Winery.
  • 1877 @Napa Phylloxera, Phylloxera Hits Napa Valley.
  • 1877 @Howell Mountain Jean Brun & WJ. Chaix Plants First Vineyards.
  • 1879 @Calastoga Finland Gustave Niebaum, Established Inglenook.
  • 1880 @Pritchard Hill Charles Pritchard Planted Zinfandel.
  • 1881 @Oakville Hamilton Crab, Planted 119ac. Vineyard That Became To-Kolon.
  • 1890 @Napa Planting Boom, Pre 1900’s Planting Expansion.
  • 1890’s @Napa Phylloxera Epidemic, Phylloxera Hits Napa, Destroying the Majority of Vineyards.
  • 1895 @Rutherford Historic Winery, Thomas Rutherford, Plants Vineyards, Becomes Rutherford.
  • 1900’s @Washington Growing Grapes For Juices, Jelly or Jams.
  • 1900 @Lake County Strong Wine Industry Throughout Lake County.
  • 1916 @Oregon Prohibition, Starting 4 Years Earlier In Oregon 1916 -1933.
  • 1920 @America Prohibition, January 17th. 1920 to December 5th. 1933.
  • 1933 @America Prohibition, End of Prohibition.
  • 1920 @America Prohibition, January 17th. 1920 to December 5th. 1933.
  • 1930’s @AmericaGreat DepressionGreat Depression
  • 1933 @America Prohibition, End of Prohibition.
  • 1933 @Oregon Historic Winery, Honeywood Winery- Oldest Continuously Operating Winery In Oregon.
  • 1940’s @Washington Irrigation Project, Changed Desert Into Profitable Farming Land.
  • 1944 @Napa Seven Members Formed Napa Valley Vintners Association.
  • 1960’s @Willamette Viticulture, Pre-Modern Winemaking Movement Began.
  • 1960’s @Napa Wine Renaissance, New Generation
  • 1960’s @Washington Viticulture, Modern Wine Era Started.
  • 1960 @Lake CountyRe-Emergence, Wine Industry Starts Growing Again.
  • 1961 @Umpqua Valley First Pinot Noir Vineyard is Planted In Oregon by Richard Sommer at Hillcrest.
  • 1965 @Corvallis David Lett Plants First Pinot Noir In Southern Willamette Valley.
  • 1965 @Oakville Robert Mondavi, Leaved Krug to Start Robert Mondavi Winery.
  • 1969 @Washington Wine Law, Allowing Wines From Other States and Countries Into Washington.
  • 1970 @Dundee Sokol Blosser Plants First Vines In Dundee.
  • 1975 @Oregon/ Paris–  Paris Wine Olympics
    • David Lett’s Eyrie Pinot Noir Takes 2nd. to Chambolle Musigny In Wine Olympics In Paris. This Event Lead to Burgundy Producers to Buy Built and Buy Estates In Willamette Valley.
  • 1974 @California  1972, Ste. Michelle Riesling Wins Best White In LA. Time Wine Competition.
  • 1975’s @Napa Irrigation, Drip Irrigation Introduced
  • 1976 @California/ France Judgement of Paris, Napa vs. France Blind Wine Tasting
  • 1980’s @Virginia Viticulture, Planting Shifted From French Hybrids to Vinifera.
  • 1980’s @America French Paradox, Episode On 60 Minutes Generates Interest In Wine In USA..
  • 1981 @Walla Walla 1978, Woodward Cabernet Sauvignon Wins Best Wine In America Award.
  • 1982 @Umpqua Valley Scott Henry, Designs His Trellising System In Umpqua Valley.
  • 1983 @Napa Robert Mondavi & Philippe de Rothschild Collaborate on Opus One.
  • 1983 @Napa Wine Law, Napa Valley Became California First AVA..
  • 1987 @McMinnville Festivals, First International Pinot Noir Celebration.
  • 1989 @Sonoma Economy, Grapes Become Sonoma County’s Top Revenue Crop.
  • 1990 @Willamette Phylloxera, First Appears In Oregon.
  • 1996 @Umpqua Valley Oldest Planted Albarino and Tempranillo Vines In America.
  • 2000 @Lake County Investment, Increased In Promoting and Establishing New Vineyards.
  • 2014 @NapaEarth Quake, On August 14, Magnitude 6 Earthquake.

CULTURE

  • ASSOCIATIONS~ ~Meritage Association~
    • Mission~ A Group of American Vintners Formed the Meritage Association In 1988 to Identify Handcrafted Wines Blended From The Traditional “Noble” Bordeaux Varietals.
  • TOP WINE CITIES IN AMERICA
    • CRITERIA History, Number and Quality of Wine Drinking Experiences.
      1. New York, New York
      2. San Francisco,  California
      3. San Diego, California
      4. Washington DC.
      5. Seattle, Washington
      6. Boulder, Colorado
  • TOP AVA.   
    • CRITERIA History, Culture, Magnitude, Quality, Terroir, Diversity In Wine, Wine Tourism, Personal Preference.
      1. Stags Leap AVA., Napa, California
      2. Sonoma Valley AVA., SonomaCalifornia
      3. Horse Heaven Hills AVA., Washington
      4. Finger Lakes AVA., Upstate, New York
      5. Santa Rita Hills AVA., Central Coast, California
      6. Anderson Valley AVA., Mendocino, California
      7. Dundee Hills AVA., Willamette, Oregon
  • PIONEERS– 
  • ~Parker, Robert~ America, Wine Critic, Owner Wine Advocate Magazine.

UNITED STATES WINE LAW/ CLASSIFICATION

  • GOVERNING BODY- Department of Treasury (Alcohol, Tax & Trade Bureau TTB.)
    • Oversees Enforcement of Alcohol Related Legislation.
    • Recognizes Growing Region as Having Unique Characteristics.
    • American Viticultural Areas= AVA. +236
      • In America State and Counties Can Be Labeled and Referred to as a Appellation.
  • LAWS GOVERNING- Refers Geographic Location and Boundaries.
    • Label Requirement
      • Vineyard-Vintage- +95%,
      • State- +75%
      • Exceptions…California & Oregon 100%, Washington 95%, Texas 85%
      • AVA.– +85%,
      • Varietal- +75%
    • Criteria For AVA. Consideration
      • Unique History Topography Geography
      • Soil Type Micro-Climate Elevation
      • **Refer to RECOGNIZING & DEVELOPING AVA.’S For Detailed Information.
    • Percentage % of USA. Output
      • California 89%, Washington 4%, New York 3%, Oregon 1%, Other States 3%
  • PROHIBITION- Nationwide Constitutional Bad On the Production, Importation, Sale and Transportation of Alcoholic Beverages. Called the Volsted Act/ 18th. Amendment. The Amendment Was Ratified On January 16th. 1919  and When Into Effect January 16th. 1920 and Lasted Till December 5th., 1933.
    • Loopholes In the 18th. Amendment Allowed For…
      • Home Winemakers to Produce and Consumption Up to 200 Gallons.  Each Harvest Season Rail Cars Full of Grapes Would Make Their Way to the Mid-West/ East Coast as Many Families Took Advantage of This and Produced Wine In Their Garages and Basements and Kitchens. The Most Popular Grapes to Send Back East Where Not the Varieties That Would Make the Best Wines But Grape That Would Not Spoil as Fast Such as Alicante Bousche, Carignan, Mataro, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel.
      • The Production of Wine For Religious/ Sacramental Purposes.
    • The Start of Prohibition Brought to an End the First Great Era of California Wine-Making and the Repeal of Prohibition Signified the Start of the Next Great Era of California Wine-Making
    • As a See Effect of Prohibition This Era Ushered In a Era of Bootleggers, Speakeasies as Well as Great Social Unrest.
      • Sacramental Wines- Wines Produced For Religious Purposes, Only Wines ‘Legally’ Allowed to Be Produced In American During Prohibition.
      • Medicinal Wines- Wines Produced For the the Production of Medicine.
      • Homemaking Allowance- Allowed to Make a Certain Amount For Home Consumption.  This Led to a Market For Thick Skinned Grapes Grown In California and Sent by Railroad Back to the Mid-West and East-Coast.

GEOGRAPHIC DISCLAIMERTo Understand the Wine World and Benefit From DtheV.com a Understanding of USA.’s Geography is Needed and the Ability to Visualize Its Wine Regions Topography.  USA. is Organized In a North to South, / East to West Orientation and Intended to Be Researched as So.


  • SUB-CHAPTERS Of The UNITED STATES
    • California
    • Pacific North-West
    • South-West USA.
    • South USA.
    • Central USA.
    • Atlantic North-West USA.
    • Atlantic South USA.
  • **Refer to These Proceeding Sub-Chapters For Detailed Information.


**Refer to BIBLIOGRAPHY/ Sources For Details On Scholarly Works Referenced.