It is widely believed in the United States the 1976 Judgment of Paris launched the American wine industry, after a blind tasting showed how well Californian wines performed against more established French wines. Grape growing and winemaking in the United States began long before then however.
Contrary to popular belief, the first US wines were not produced in California but at a British settlement near Jacksonville, Florida, between 1562 and 1564 and were made with Scuppernong grapes, a type of Muscadine.
With a charter to produce wines to rival the French, the arriving British Settlers pressed on with planting the European varietals they had brought with them. However, the prevailing environmental conditions caused severe problems as they found themselves in a swampland. Needless to say, the vines died. Henceforth there began an exploration of the countryside seeking vines that would survive the harsh conditions. The grapes that were located produced wine that was so disappointing in terms of the tastes they were used to that attention turned to tobacco production.
The Virginia wine industry lay dormant until advances in knowledge and technology gave them the green light to try new tactics and since the 1950’s it has re-emerged a success. Virginia is now home to more than 125 wineries on a mere 3,000 acres of vineyards, each of whom are finally starting to realize the dreams of the original settlers 400 years ago.
Today, California produces over 90% of US wines within ½ million acres of vineyards. California offers many different terrains suited to the growing of a large number of varietals. It was the Spanish Missionaries who can lay claim to kick starting the West Coast wine industry, as they made wine and brandy for ecclesiastical use as well as for trade. Father Juniper Serra established the first producing vines in San Diego in 1769.
Prohibition in 1920 was responsible for grinding the production of US wine to a virtual halt for 13 years. Immunity had been granted to producers of wine used for religious purposes and some wineries were able to maintain production under those auspices. Many people turned to their own innovations and home winemaking became commonplace, since production for home use was also exempt.
Following the repeal of Prohibition, many of the most talented American winemakers had died, vineyards had been neglected or replanted with table grapes, and the public’s tastes had altered dramatically. American consumers now demanded cheap “jug wine” and sweet, fortified wine. Prior to Prohibition, dry table wines outsold sweet wines by three times but afterwards this trend was completely reversed. In 1935 81% of California’s production was sweet wines.
In the present day, 50 of the US states produce wine and it is now the fourth largest wine producing country in the world after France, Italy and Spain. California leads the way in US wine production followed by Washington State, Oregon and New York. California, whilst able to produce fresh fruity wines for the mass consumer market, is producing wines in the premium sector that are more than able to challenge the greatest regions of France such as Bordeaux and Burgundy. There are many similarities between California & Bordeaux, and Oregon is seen to be very much the American equivalent of Burgundy, where the damp, cool climate west of the Cascade Mountains has given promising sites for Pinot Noir.
The most planted grape in the USA is Chardonnay, so it is not surprising that it also happens to be the largest selling wine variety in the country. Believed to be related to the Pinot Noir grape, it is either enjoyed or shunned. Trends in wine have a major effect on Chardonnay. Heavily oaked styles were in mass demand in the early to mid 1990s, but now most consumers prefer less oak which seems to complement food better.
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape which has been planted in over 10 percent of the vineyards in California. The grape is thought to be the genetic equivalent of the Croatian grape Crljenak Katelanski and also the Italian Primitivo variety. The grape was brought to the United States in the mid-19th century and became known as “Zinfandel”, a name of indeterminate origin. Typically these grapes produce a hearty red wine, but in the United States a semi-sweet rosé wine called White Zinfandel sells six times more than its red sister. The ripeness of the grapes used affects the taste of the wine. Raspberry flavours dominate in wines made in the cooler areas, but hints of blackberry, anise and pepper are more common in the warmer production areas.
In addition to Chardonnay and Zinfandel, the Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Marsanne grapes are also prevalent in US winemaking
