Wine Regions of the USA

Where it started

Zinfandel reached California during the Gold Rush, between 1852 and 1857; the name was first recorded in Boston in 1832.¹ Most Chardonnay vines were pulled out during Prohibition and only boomed again in the 1970s.² Napa set up the first U.S. Agricultural Preserve in 1968.³

Where and how it's made

An AVA is a delimited grape-growing region with distinguishing features.[^cfr4.25] The TTB lists 280 established AVAs; California has 154.⁴ Using an AVA on a label requires 85 percent of the grapes from inside it.[^cfr4.25] A multistate appellation may name two or three contiguous states.[^cfr4.25]

Napa Valley supplies only 4 percent of California's wine grape harvest.³ Cabernet Sauvignon is 54 percent of its plantings, Chardonnay 12 percent.³

Oregon has 23 AVAs, eleven of them nested within the Willamette Valley, including Dundee Hills and Eola-Amity Hills.⁵

California grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted red, Chardonnay the most planted white, and Zinfandel the third-leading wine grape by acreage.⁶²¹

How to taste it

Try a Napa Cabernet against a Willamette Pinot Noir to see warm and cool climates side by side. Zinfandel brings blackberry and black pepper.¹

Styles and what the label means

• AVA — 85 percent from the named area.[^cfr4.25]
• Varietal — 75 percent of the named grape.[^cfr4.23]
• Vintage — 95 percent from that year with an AVA.[^cfr4.27]
• Estate bottled — grown and made by the winery in the AVA.[^cfr4.26]
• Champagne on a U.S. label — only brands from before 2006. cremant-and-other-sparkling →