American Wine

During the Age of Exploration, Spanish ships would carry with them bottles of Wine, leading to the first bottle of Wine on U.S. soil. It’s slightly unclear on a definitive answer for when Wine was first made in the U.S. but it seems to point towards the 1500s.

Although we do know that the first slightly commercial Wine production started in 1628 in New Mexico, with the Grape variety of  Vitis Vinifera. At that time, New Mexico belonged to Spain.

After the English landed in America, they wanted their American colonies to enjoy the pleasures of Wine, so in 1618 the first legislation on Wine was signed in the U.S.

It was in 1848 that New Mexico was ceded to America, shortly after in 1868 Jesuit priests settled in New Mexico, bringing with them their knowledge of Italian Winemaking, with the first New Mexican Winery being founded in 1872.

If we go back a touch to 1833 we will find documents of European Vines being planted on Los Angeles soil, by Jean-Louis Vignes, becoming the State’s first commercial Winemaker.

The first Grapes were planted in California in 1779, but North California, with the likes of Napa and Sonoma, didn’t receive any planting of Vines until the Gold Rush in 1848.

When we look at American Wines, there is just one state that accounts for 81% of all American Wines and that state is California, each year they produce 17 million gallons of Wine. If we looked at California as a country, it alone would be the 4th largest producer of Wine in the entire world.

As of the 8th of February 2023, there were 11,691 wineries in America, that number is likely to have grown, with a production of over 752 million gallons of wine a year.

The most popular wine regions of America:

• California – 4.391 wineries
• Washington State – 772 wineries
• Oregon – 774 wineries
• New York State – 395 wineries
• Virginia – 276 wineries
• Texas – 319 wineries
• Pennsylvania – 261 wineries
• Ohio – 208 wineries
• Michigan – 184 wineries
• Missouri – 149 wineries

Some of the grapes grown in the USA:

• Fox Grape
• Concord Grape
• Norton
• Vitis aestivalis
• Chardonnay
• Muscadine
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Catawba
• Pinot Noir
• Vitis Rupestris
• Mustang Grape
• Niagara Grape
• Scuppernong
• Delaware
• Zinfandel
• Baco noir
• Chambourcin
• Chancellor
• Vitis Lincecumii
• Vitis Cinerea
• Vignoles
• Marechal Foch
• Vidal Blanc
• Chardonel
• Traminette
• Frontenac
• California Wild Grape
• Petite Sirah
• Riesling
• Lagrein
• Aubun
• Colombard
• Ruby Cabernet
• Chelois
• Teroldego