USA
The USA has had an undeniable influence on the world of wine. From the great judgement of Paris tasting in 1976 when shockwaves were sent through the wine world after several US wines beat their Bordeaux equivalents in this famous blind tasting. These incredible wines from across the pond have continued to go from strength to strength and every state in the USA now produces its own wine. However almost all (around 95%) of the production is across just four of the fifty states: California, Washington, Oregon and New York. California is still by far the state with the largest wine production with more than 88% of the country’s wine being made here.
Wine sales and the popularity of American wines have increased enormously since 2012, due to harvests of excellent quality and yields, across most of the states as well as emerging wine trends. In the past, the USA was better known for its massive, bulk imports and although these continue to dominate wines in the lowest price brackets, the rise in good quality, well-made wines is evident. Their efforts and passion are clear – and customer loyalty towards these smaller wineries is important. Wineries such as Dumol, Orin Swift, Chanin and Gramercy Cellars only hint at the level of wine being produced here these days, standing head and shoulders above many on the world’s wine stage, the USA continues to make the rest world take note.
