North America
Grapes are grown and wine is actually produced in the majority of states in the USA. That having been said it is really only in New York State in the east and California, Oregon and Washington State in the west, that there is a developed Wine Industry.
California is best known for full bodied reds and full bodied, oaky whites made from very ripe fruit. The main red varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and their 'own' Zinfandel. (In fact Zin has recently been identified as being very closely related to the Italian grape Primitivo). The whites are predominantly Chardonnay.
As with many wine countries of the New World, the winemakers of California are still finding their way when it comes to which grape varieties are suited to which regions. Hence the different geographical wine regions, referred to as American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), are not as significant as the name of the producer on the label. The AVA system, in fact, makes no stipulations as to yields or varieties to be used at all. However the planting of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in cooler areas such as the Russian River Valley and Carneros and their retreat from hotter areas of Napa, is a sign that the Californian winemakers are on their way to finding more meaning in the AVA system. It is now acknowledged that certain AVAs are classic for some varieties and that the old Californian maxim that any variety can be planted anywhere, and that quality is made by the winemaker in the winery, is just plain wrong. One only has to think how long great Cabernet has been grown in Rutherford and Oakville to see that California is really not so different from the rest of the wine world.
Arblaster & Clarke have been arranging Wine Tours to the Californian wine country since 1989. Washington State and Oregon feature in our Pacific Northwest Tour which will feature again in 2010.
