North America

United States

Napa Cabernet, Oregon Pinot Noir and Sonoma Chardonnay - the New World's most influential, ambitious wine country.

American wine is the loudest proof that great wine no longer requires an Old World address. California's Napa Valley built a global reputation for opulent, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon, while Sonoma and Oregon's Willamette Valley refined the Burgundian grapes to remarkable finesse.

The US industry is young by European standards - it grew explosively after Prohibition ended in 1933 - but it is now the world's fourth-largest wine producer, with serious regions across California, Oregon, Washington and New York as well as rising stars in Virginia and Texas.

American wine tends toward ripeness and generosity, but the finest producers show ripeness can coexist with balance. It is a country of house styles first and terroir second, which makes it approachable and, at entry level, remarkably reliable.

🍷 Wine fact: Prohibition (1920-1933) destroyed America's fledgling wine culture and turned the industry toward shipping juice grapes, which is why Napa's great modern boom only began in the 1970s.

Continent

North America

Rank

4th-largest producer

Signature grapes

Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel

Modern revival

Post-1933 Prohibition

Wine Regions

All regions →

Napa Valley

Northern California, a valley in Napa County, north of San Francisco Bay.

Sonoma County

California, north of San Francisco, the coastal county west of Napa - a diverse patchwork of valleys.

Willamette Valley

Western Oregon, a broad fertile valley running between the Coast Range and the Cascade Mountains, around Portland and Salem.

Virginia

Eastern United States, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the rolling piedmont around Charlottesville and Monticello.

Finger Lakes

Upstate New York, south of Lake Ontario, around the deep glacial lakes that give the region its name.

Notable Wines

Opus One

Napa Valley · 2024 (representative vintage)

Opus One is an red wine from United States, in the Napa Valley region (Northern California, a valley in Napa County, north of San Francisco Bay.), made principally from Cabernet Sauvignon. The flagship Napa Bordeaux blend from the Mondavi–Rothschild joint venture.

$350–$550 est. retail

Screaming Eagle

Napa Valley · 2024 (representative vintage)

Screaming Eagle is an red wine from United States, in the Napa Valley region (Northern California, a valley in Napa County, north of San Francisco Bay.), made principally from Cabernet Sauvignon. The cult Napa Cabernet that started the modern collector frenzy — allocated, minuscule production, impossibly sought-after.

$2500–$4000 est. retail

Caymus Special Selection

Napa Valley · 2024 (representative vintage)

Caymus Special Selection is an red wine from United States, in the Napa Valley region (Northern California, a valley in Napa County, north of San Francisco Bay.), made principally from Cabernet Sauvignon. The Wagner family's celebrated Napa flagship — rich, layered and unmistakably Californian.

$180–$280 est. retail

Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet

Napa Valley · 2024 (representative vintage)

Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet is an red wine from United States, in the Napa Valley region (Northern California, a valley in Napa County, north of San Francisco Bay.), made principally from Cabernet Sauvignon. The American-style Cabernet archetype — soft, vanilla-kissed and instantly recognizable in its tall bottle.

$100–$150 est. retail

Ridge Monte Bello

Napa Valley · 2024 (representative vintage)

Ridge Monte Bello is an red wine from United States, in the Napa Valley region (Northern California, a valley in Napa County, north of San Francisco Bay.), made principally from Cabernet Sauvignon. The Bordeaux-style mountain Cabernet that beat French First Growths in the 1976 Judgment of Paris.

$200–$320 est. retail

Joseph Phelps Insignia

Napa Valley · 2024 (representative vintage)

Joseph Phelps Insignia is an red wine from United States, in the Napa Valley region (Northern California, a valley in Napa County, north of San Francisco Bay.), made principally from Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa's first proprietary Bordeaux blend (1974) and still one of its most consistent icons.

$200–$320 est. retail

Popular Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Pinot Noir Shiraz / Syrah Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Riesling Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris Viognier Zinfandel Norton Melon de Bourgogne Vidal

Wine Styles

Winemaking History

· Vines were planted in California by Spanish missionaries in the 18th century, but meaningful wine culture arrived with European immigrants in the 19th century.
· Prohibition shut down the commercial industry for 13 years; after repeal, the industry rebuilt, and the 1976 'Judgment of Paris' blind tasting - where California wines beat top French ones - put Napa on the world stage.
· Today the US is a global laboratory for single-variety winemaking, with Pinot Noir in Oregon, Cabernet in Napa, and increasingly fine Riesling and Syrah across the Pacific Northwest.

Buying United States Wine

› American wine is label-driven: look for the appellation (Napa, Sonoma Coast, Willamette Valley), the producer's reputation and the vintage rather than a giant brand name.
› Value hides in Sonoma, Paso Robles, Washington and Oregon rather than in Napa; a Napa AVA on the label commands a premium.
› For collector Cabernet, focus on Napa; for food-friendly elegance, look to Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and coastal Chardonnays.