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United States

The United States ranks as the world’s fourth largest wine-producing nation after France, Italy, and Spain. U.S. wine consumption has increased about 400 percent over the last 25 years. Even so, on a per capita basis, Americans consume only about one-seventh the wine that the French, Italians, or Portuguese do. In 1999, the United States ranked thirty-fourth in per capita consumption, but its large population allowed this country to finish third in total con-U sumption. About 90 percent of U.S. wines are produced in CALIFORNIA, which would rank California in fourth place if it were a nation. California’s CENTRAL VALLEY provides over 70 percent of the state’s wine, and although the quality of Central Valley wine is improving, most of it is still considered rather ordinary. On the other hand, most higher-quality U.S. wine comes from California, although it’s not the only state producing first-rate wine. WASHINGTON is now viewed as being the second-largest producer of fine wine. Wine is now produced in all fifty states—that is to say that all fifty have at least one federally bonded winery. The resurgence in quality-wine production, which started in California in the mid-1960s (decades after PROHIBITION almost decimated the wine industry), has triggered a similar rally in other parts of country. At this writing, there are over 2,200 wineries scattered throughout the nation. California has the most with over 900, but there are over 200 in WASHINGTON, almost that many in OREGON, over 160 in NEW YORK, and more than 70 in both OHIO and VIRGINIA. States like ARIZONA, COLORADO, NEW MEXICO, and TEXAS are all finding ideal grape-growing locales where warm days and cool nights create just the right combination. In 1983, the United States implemented the AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREA (AVA) system, designed to identify U.S. wines in a fashion similar to France’s APPELLATION D’ORIGINE CONTRÔLÉE for their wines. Unlike the French regulations, however, AVA rules (under the jurisdiction of TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, previously BATF) are extremely lax and must be strengthened before they become truly meaningful. There are many AVAs that do reflect a sense of quality because the winemakers in that area want it to be meaningful; unfortunately that isn’t always true. Currently, there are about 150 AVAs throughout the United States. See also ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, IDAHO, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, MICHIGAN, MISSOURI, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, OHIO, NORTH CAROLINA, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, TEXAS, VIRGINIA, and WASHINGTON.

Related Links: Arkansas, Sé, vintage, Yountville AVA

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