American wine
History
The first Europeans to explore North America, a Viking expedition from Greenland, called it
This led to repeated efforts to grow the familiar European Vitis vinifera varieties, beginning with the
On November 21, 1799, the
In
The first winery in the United States to become commercially successful was founded in
In the 1860s, vineyards in the
Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, operators tried to revive the American wine-making industry, which was nearly ended. Many talented wine-makers had died, vineyards had been neglected or replanted with table grapes, and Prohibition had changed Americans' taste in wines. During the Great Depression, consumers demanded cheap "jug wine" (so-called dago red) and sweet, fortified (high alcohol) wine. Before Prohibition, dry table wines outsold sweet wines by three to one, but afterward, the ratio of demand changed dramatically. As a result, by 1935, 81% of California's production was sweet wines. For decades, wine production was low and limited.
Leading the way to new methods of wine production was research conducted at the
Americans became more educated about wines, and increased their demand for high-quality wine. All 50 states now have some acreage in vineyard cultivation. By 2004, 668 million
Wine regions
There are nearly 3,000 commercial vineyards in the United States, and at least one winery in each of the 50 states.[19]
- West Coast – More than 90% of the total American wine production occurs in the states of California, Washington, and Oregon.
- Southwestern United States – Notably New Mexico and Arizona
- Southern United States – Notably Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama
- Midwestern United States – Notably Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Missouri
- East Coast of the United States – Notably Maryland, eastern Long Island in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida
Production by state
Production of still wine per state in 2016 was as follows:[20]
State | Production (gal) | Production (%) |
---|---|---|
Alabama | 34,966 | 0.004% |
Arizona | 190,008 | 0.024% |
Arkansas | 246,363 | 0.031% |
California | 680,272,512 | 84.354% |
Colorado | 556,994 | 0.069% |
Connecticut | 134,517 | 0.017% |
Florida | 1,634,103 | 0.203% |
Georgia | 276,144 | 0.034% |
Idaho | 497,007 | 0.062% |
Illinois | 391,805 | 0.049% |
Indiana | 1,411,540 | 0.175% |
Iowa | 335,522 | 0.042% |
Kansas | 104,129 | 0.013% |
Kentucky | 2,176,059 | 0.270% |
Louisiana | 38,232 | 0.005% |
Maine | 48,222 | 0.006% |
Maryland | 436,185 | 0.054% |
Massachusetts | 792,884 | 0.098% |
Michigan | 2,576,238 | 0.319% |
Minnesota | 331,946 | 0.041% |
Missouri | 993,831 | 0.123% |
Montana | 33,445 | 0.004% |
Nebraska | 120,366 | 0.015% |
New Hampshire | 159,316 | 0.020% |
New Jersey | 1,832,325 | 0.227% |
New Mexico | 749,818 | 0.093% |
New York | 27,969,308 | 3.468% |
North Carolina | 1,903,060 | 0.236% |
Ohio | 5,938,738 | 0.736% |
Oklahoma | 70,204 | 0.009% |
Oregon | 11,822,972 | 1.466% |
Pennsylvania | 12,405,181 | 1.538% |
South Carolina | 77,842 | 0.010% |
South Dakota | 139,738 | 0.017% |
Tennessee | 1,279,752 | 0.159% |
Texas | 1,907,299 | 0.237% |
Vermont | 2,172,526 | 0.269% |
Virginia | 2,157,395 | 0.268% |
Washington | 40,747,190 | 5.053% |
West Virginia | 40,733 | 0.005% |
Wisconsin | 1,129,405 | 0.140% |
Others | 312,051 | 0.039% |
Sum | 806,447,891 | 100% |
Appellation system
The early American appellation system was based on the political boundaries of states and counties. In September 1978, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (now Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) developed regulations to establish American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) based on distinct climate and geographical features. In June 1980, the Augusta AVA in Missouri was established as the first American Viticultural Area under the new appellation system.[21] For the sake of wine labeling purposes, the use of state and county appellations were grandfathered in and are still used often in lieu of AVAs. There are 269 distinct AVAs designated under U.S. law as of August 2023.[22]
Appellation labeling laws
In order to have an AVA appear on a wine label, at least 85% of the grapes used to produce the wine must have been grown in the AVA.
For a state or county appellation to appear on the wine label, 75% of the grapes used must be from that state or county. Some states have stricter requirements. For example, California requires 100% of the grapes used to be from California for a wine labeled as such, and Washington requires 95% of the grapes in a Washington wine be grown in Washington. If grapes are from two or three contiguous counties or states, a label can have a multi-county or multi-state designation so long as the percentages used from each county or state are specified on the label.
American wine or United States is a rarely used appellation that classifies a wine made from anywhere in the United States, including
Semi-generic wines
U.S. laws formerly allowed American made wines to be labeled as "American
Other U.S. labeling laws
For bottles labeled with a varietal, at least 75% of the grapes used to make the wine must be of that varietal. In Oregon, the requirement is 90% for certain varietals, such as pinot noir. At least 95% of the wine must be from a particular vintage for that year to appear on the label. Prior to the early 1970s, all grapes had to be from the vintage year. Additionally, all labels must list the alcohol content based on percentage by volume, state that the wine contains sulfites, and carry the Surgeon General's warning about alcohol consumption.[25]
Distribution
Following the
Convenience stores and retail stores are large distributors of wine, with over 175,000 outlets that sell wine across the United States. In addition, there are around 332,000 other locations (bars, restaurants, etc.) that sell wine, contributing to the $30+ billion in annual sales over the past three years.[27] In 2010, the average monthly per-store sales of wine jumped to nearly $12,000 from $9,084 in 2009. The average gross margin dollars from wine increased to $3,324 from $2,616 in the year prior, with gross margin percentages up to an average 28.2 percent in 2010, versus 27 percent in 2009.[28]
Largest producers
As of 2016[update], the largest producers of wine in the U.S. are:[29]
- E & J Gallo Winery - 75 million cases sold per year
- The Wine Group - 57 million cases sold per year
- Constellation Brands - 51 million cases sold per year
- Trinchero Family Estates - 19 million cases sold per year
- Treasury Wine Estates - 15 million cases sold per year
- Bronco Wine Company - 10 million cases sold per year
- Delicato Family Wines - 9.2 million cases sold per year
- Ste. Michelle Wine Estates - 9 million cases sold per year
- Jackson Family Wines - 6 million cases sold per year
- Concha y Toro - 2.75 million cases sold per year
See also
References
- ^ United States Department of Agriculture "Global Wine Report August 2006 Archived April 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine", pp. 7-9.
- ISBN 978-1-60949-643-2. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-937206-39-3. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 1-84000-332-4.
- ^ ISBN 0-7566-1324-8.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
- ^ "About • Lescombes Family Vineyards". Lescombes Family Vineyards. October 28, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ "Wine History". Casa Rondena. November 23, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-879906-63-1. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ Littell's Laws of Kentucky Vol. 2, pp. 268-270.
- ^ The Swiss Settlement of Switzerland County, Indiana, p. 293, Day Journal of J.J. Dufour.
- ^ Kentucky Gazette, March 29, 1803
- ^ Library of Congress Doc#25644 Letters of Jefferson and Doc#25657 Letters of Jefferson.
- ISBN 2-940289-00-X.
- ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
- ^ Frederick Law Olmsted, A Journey through Texas (1859), pp. 6-7, at Open Library.org, Library of Congress.
- ^ Section 29 of the Volstead Act (27 U.S.C. § 46).
- ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
- ^ D. Shaw & A. Bahney, The New York Times (October 31, 2003) JOURNEYS; Welcome to Napa Nation.
- ^ "Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau: Statistical Report – Wine (Reporting Period: January 2016 - December 2016), 17 May 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ISBN 1-84000-332-4.
- ^ "TTB | Wine | Established AVAs". Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 0-7566-1324-8.
- ^ "TTB - Industry Circular Number: 2006-1". ttb.gov. Retrieved Sep 26, 2020.
- ISBN 0-7566-1324-8.
- ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
- ^ "A Toast to Wine". SpareFoot. August 8, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- ^ "Category Close Up: Pouring on the Profits - NACS Online – Magazine – Past Issues – 2011 – November 2011". www.nacsonline.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ "America's 30 largest wine producers (with ties to Lodi)". Lodi Winegrape Commission. Retrieved Sep 26, 2020.
Further reading
- Clarke, Oz. Oz Clarke's New Encyclopedia of Wine. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1999.
- Johnson, Hugh. Vintage: The Story of Wine. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1989.
- Taber, George M. Judgement of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. NY: Scribner, 2005.
External links
- Appellation America.com U.S. wine region and AVA portal
- All American Wineries Archived 2020-08-05 at the Wayback Machine U.S. winery and vineyard guide
- Free the Grapes: State wine shipment laws
- Doubtless as Good: Thomas Jefferson's Dream for American Wine Fulfilled An online exhibition from the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution