View source for American wine

{{short description|Wine making in the United States of America}}
[[File:Eyrie Oregon Pinot Gris.JPG|thumb|2005 [[Eyrie Vineyards]] [[Pinot gris]]]]
[[Wine]] has been produced in the [[United States]] since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in [[New Mexico wine|New Mexico]] in 1628.<ref>United States Department of Agriculture "[http://www.fas.usda.gov/agx/ISMG/Global%20Wine%20Report%20Final%20Aug2006.pdf Global Wine Report August 2006] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408235146/http://www.fas.usda.gov/agx/ISMG/Global%20Wine%20Report%20Final%20Aug2006.pdf |date=April 8, 2008 }}", pp. 7-9.</ref><ref name="Birchell Steel 2013 p. ">{{cite book |last=Birchell |first=D.B. |last2=Steel |first2=G. |title=New Mexico Wine: An Enchanting History |publisher=American Palate |series=American Palate Series |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-60949-643-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5f0kvgAACAAJ | language=it |access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref><ref name="New Mexico. Office of Cultural Affairs 1995 p. ">{{cite book | author=New Mexico. Office of Cultural Affairs | title=Enchanted Lifeways: The History, Museums, Arts & Festivals of New Mexico | publisher=New Mexico Magazine | year=1995 | isbn=978-0-937206-39-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nvoRAQAAIAAJ | access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref> As of 2023, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with [[California wine|California]] producing 80.8% of all US wine. The [[North America]]n continent is home to several native species of [[grape]], including ''[[Vitis labrusca]]'', ''[[Vitis riparia]]'', ''[[Vitis rotundifolia]]'', and ''[[Vitis vulpina]],'' but the [[wine-making]] industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European ''[[Vitis vinifera]]'', which was introduced by European settlers.<ref name="Johnson atlas, p. 268">H. Johnson & J. Robinson. ''The World Atlas of Wine'', p. 268, Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 {{ISBN|1-84000-332-4}}.</ref> With more than {{convert|1100000|acre|km2}} under vine, the [[United States]] is the fourth-largest [[List of wine-producing countries|wine producing country]] in the world, after [[Italian wine|Italy]], [[Spanish wine|Spain]], and [[French wine|France]].<ref name="Sotheby, p. 462">T. Stevenson, ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia'' Fourth Edition, p. 462, Dorling Kindersly, 2005 {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8}}.</ref><ref name="Oxford, p. 719">J. Robinson, ed. ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'', Third Edition, p. 719; Oxford University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}}.</ref>

==History==
{{main|History of American wine}}
The first Europeans to explore North America, a Viking expedition from Greenland, called it [[Vinland]] because of the profusion of grape vines they found. The earliest wine made in what is now the United States was produced between 1562 and 1564 by [[French Huguenot]] settlers from [[Scuppernong]] grapes at a settlement near [[Jacksonville, Florida]].<ref name="Sotheby, p. 462"/> In the early [[Thirteen Colonies|American colonies]] of [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia]] and [[Province of Carolina|the Carolina]]s, wine-making was an official goal laid out in the founding [[charter]]s. However, settlers discovered that the wine made from the various native grapes had flavors which were unfamiliar and which they did not like.

This led to repeated efforts to grow the familiar European ''Vitis vinifera'' varieties, beginning with the [[Virginia Company]] exporting French vinifera vines with French [[vigneron]]s to [[Virginia]] in 1619. These early plantings met with failure as native pest and [[Viticulture#Hazards|vine disease]] ravaged the vineyards. In what would become the [[Southwestern United States]] the Spanish Kingdoms of [[Las Californias]] and [[Santa Fe de Nuevo México]] had missions that were planting vineyards, the traditions of which remain in the modern day [[California]] and [[New Mexico]] wine industries. [[New Mexico wine]] developed first in 1629 making it the oldest wine producing region in the United States,<ref name="Lescombes Family Vineyards 2009">{{cite web |title=About • Lescombes Family Vineyards |website=Lescombes Family Vineyards |date=October 28, 2009 |url=https://lescombeswinery.com/st-clair-winery-vineyard/ |access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Casa Rondena 2016">{{cite web | title=Wine History | website=Casa Rondena | date=November 23, 2016 | url=https://www.casarondena.com/winery/wine-history/ | access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref> and [[Mission (grape)|Mission grapes]] were being grown for [[California wine]] by 1680.<ref name="Bettiga 2003 p. ">{{cite book | last=Bettiga | first=L.J. | title=Wine Grape Varieties in California | publisher=University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources | series=Publication (University of California (System). Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources)) | year=2003 | isbn=978-1-879906-63-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-8jMhkVUMcC | access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref> In 1683, [[William Penn]] planted a vineyard of French vinifera in [[Pennsylvania]]; it may have interbred with a native ''Vitis labrusca'' vine to create the [[hybrid grape]] [[Alexander (grape)|Alexander]]. One of the first commercial wineries in the United States was founded in 1787 by Pierre Legaux in Pennsylvania. A settler in [[Indiana]] in 1806 produced wine made from the Alexander grape. Today, French-American hybrid grapes are the staples of wine production on the [[East Coast of the United States]].<ref name="Oxford, p. 719"/>

On November 21, 1799, the [[Kentucky General Assembly]] passed a bill to establish a commercial vineyard and winery.<ref>''Littell's Laws of Kentucky'' Vol. 2, pp. 268-270.</ref> The vinedresser for the vineyard was John James Dufour, formerly of [[Vevey, Switzerland]].<ref name="Oxford, p. 719"/> The vineyard was located overlooking the Kentucky River in [[Jessamine County, Kentucky|Jessamine County]] in what is known as Blue Grass country of central Kentucky. Dufour named it First Vineyard on November 5, 1798.<ref>''The Swiss Settlement of Switzerland County, Indiana'', p. 293, Day Journal of J.J. Dufour.</ref> The vineyard's current address in 5800 Sugar Creek Pike, [[Nicholasville, Kentucky]]. The first wine from First Vineyard was consumed by subscribers to the vineyard at John Postelthwaite's house on March 21, 1803.<ref>''[[Kentucky Gazette]]'', March 29, 1803</ref> Two 5-gallon oak casks of wine were taken to President [[Thomas Jefferson]] in Washington, D. C., in February 1805.<ref>Library of Congress Doc#25644 Letters of Jefferson and Doc#25657 Letters of Jefferson.</ref> The vineyard continued until 1809, when a killing freeze in May destroyed the crop and many vines. The Dufour family abandoned Kentucky, and migrated west to [[Vevay, Indiana]], a center of a Swiss-immigrant community.<ref>John James Dufour, ''The Swiss Settlement of Switzerland County, Indiana'', p. XVII; and John James Dufour, ''The American Vine-Dressers Guide'', p. 10 {{ISBN|2-940289-00-X}}.</ref>

In [[California]], the first major vineyard and winery was established in 1769 by the [[Franciscan]] missionary [[Junípero Serra]] near [[San Diego]]. Later missionaries carried vines northward; [[Sonoma County, California|Sonoma]]'s first vineyard was planted around 1805.<ref name="Johnson atlas, p. 268"/> California has two native grape varieties, but they make very poor quality wine. The California Wild Grape (Vitis californicus) does not produce wine-quality fruit, although it sometimes is used as rootstock for wine grape varieties.<ref>J. Robinson, ed. The Oxford Companion to Wine Third Edition, p. 756; Oxford University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}}.</ref> The missionaries used the [[Mission (grape)|Mission grape]]. (In [[South America]], this grape is known as ''criolla'' or "colonialized European".) Although a ''Vitis vinifera'' variety, it is a grape of "very modest" quality. [[Jean-Louis Vignes]] was one of the early settlers to use a higher quality vinifera in his vineyard near [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="Johnson atlas, p. 268"/>

The first winery in the United States to become commercially successful was founded in [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]], in the mid-1830s by [[Nicholas Longworth]]. He made a [[sparkling wine]] from [[Catawba grape]]s. By 1855, Ohio had 1500 acres in vineyards, according to travel writer [[Frederick Law Olmsted]], who said it was more than in Missouri and Illinois, which each had 1100 acres in wine.<ref>Frederick Law Olmsted, [https://archive.org/stream/journeythroughte01olms#page/6/mode/2up ''A Journey through Texas''] (1859), pp. 6-7, at Open Library.org, Library of Congress.</ref> German immigrants from the late 1840s had been instrumental in building the wine industry in those states.

In the 1860s, vineyards in the [[Ohio River Valley AVA|Ohio River Valley]] were attacked by [[black rot]]. This prompted several wine-makers to move north to the [[Finger Lakes]] region of western New York. During this time, the [[Missouri wine]] industry, centered on the [[Germans|German]] colony in [[Hermann, Missouri|Hermann]], was expanding rapidly along both shores of the Missouri River west of [[St. Louis]]. By the end of the century, the state was second to California in wine production.<ref name="Oxford, p. 719"/> In the late 19th century, the [[phylloxera]] epidemic in the West and [[Pierce's disease]] in the East ravaged the American wine industry.<ref name="Johnson atlas, p. 268"/>

[[Prohibition in the United States]] began when the state of [[Maine]] became the first state to go completely dry in 1846. Nationally, Prohibition was implemented after ratification by the states of the [[Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] in 1920, which forbade the manufacturing, sale and transport of [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]]. Exceptions were made for [[sacramental wine]] used for religious purposes, and some wineries were able to maintain minimal production under those auspices, but most vineyards ceased operations. [[New Mexico]] was one such region, due to the region's long history of wine making and religious traditions, monks and nuns in New Mexico were able to save long-standing New Mexican sacramental and leisure wine grape lineages. Other parts of the country resorted to [[Rum-running|bootlegging]], home [[wine-making]] also became common, allowed through exemptions for [[sacramental wine]]s and production for home use.<ref>Section 29 of the Volstead Act (27 U.S.C. § 46).</ref>

Following the [[Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution|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 grape]]s, 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 [[University of California, Davis]], and at some of the [[State University of New York|state universities]] in New York. Faculty at the universities published reports on which varieties of grapes grew best in which regions, held seminars on wine-making techniques, consulted with grape growers and wine-makers, offered academic degrees in viticulture, and promoted the production of quality wines. In the 1970s and 1980s, success by Californian wine-makers in the northern part of the state helped to secure foreign investment from other wine-making regions, most notably the [[Champagne (wine region)|Champenois]] of France. Wine-makers also cultivated vineyards in Oregon and Washington, on Long Island in New York, and numerous other new locales.

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 [[gallons]] (25.3 million hectoliters) of wine were consumed in the United States.<ref name="Oxford, p. 720">J. Robinson, ed. ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'' Third Edition, p. 720; Oxford University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}}.</ref> As of 2022, the U.S. produces over 752 million gallons of wine a year, of which California produces 81%, followed by New York, Washington, and Oregon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=California & US Wine Production |url=https://wineinstitute.org/our-industry/statistics/california-us-wine-production/ |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=Wine Institute |language=en-US}}</ref> In the second decade of the 21st century, the US wine industry faces the growing challenges of competition from international exports and managing domestic regulations on interstate sales and shipment of wine.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

==Wine regions==
There are nearly 3,000 commercial vineyards in the United States, and at least one winery in each of the 50 states.<ref>D. Shaw & A. Bahney, ''The New York Times'' (October 31, 2003) [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/31/travel/journeys-welcome-to-napa-nation.html JOURNEYS; Welcome to Napa Nation].</ref>

*[[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] – More than 90% of the total American wine production occurs in the states of [[California wine|California]], [[Washington wine|Washington]], and [[Oregon wine|Oregon]].
*[[Southwestern United States]] – Notably [[New Mexico wine|New Mexico]] and [[Arizona wine|Arizona]]
*[[Geography of the United States Rocky Mountain System|Rocky Mountain Region]] – Notably [[Idaho wine|Idaho]] and [[Colorado wine|Colorado]]
*[[Southern United States]] – Notably [[Texas wine|Texas]], [[Kentucky wine|Kentucky]], [[Tennessee wine|Tennessee]], [[Georgia (U.S. state) wine|Georgia]], and [[Alabama wine|Alabama]]
*[[Midwestern United States]] – Notably [[Ohio wine|Ohio]], [[Michigan wine|Michigan]], [[Indiana wine|Indiana]], and [[Missouri wine|Missouri]]
*[[Great Lakes region (North America)|Great Lakes region]] – Notably [[Michigan wine|Michigan]], [[New York wine|New York]], and [[Ohio wine|Ohio]]
*[[East Coast of the United States]] – Notably [[Maryland wine|Maryland]], eastern Long Island in [[New York wine|New York]], [[New Jersey wine|New Jersey]], [[Pennsylvania wine|Pennsylvania]], [[Virginia wine|Virginia]], [[North Carolina wine|North Carolina]], and [[Florida wine|Florida]]

===Production by state===
Production of wine per state in 2023 was as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wine Statistics {{!}} TTB: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau |url=https://www.ttb.gov/regulated-commodities/beverage-alcohol/wine/wine-statistics |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=www.ttb.gov}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 2023 production of wine
|-
! scope="col" | State
! scope="col" | Production (gal)
! scope="col" | Production (%)
|-
| [[Alabama wine|Alabama]] || style="text-align:right;"| 21,416 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.003%
|-
| [[Alaska]] || style="text-align:right;"| 172,632 || style="text-align:right;"| 0.023%
|-
| [[Arizona wine|Arizona]] || style="text-align:right;" | 405,776 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.054%
|-
| [[Arkansas wine|Arkansas]] || style="text-align:right;" | 147,662 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.020%
|-
| [[California wine|California]] || style="text-align:right;" | 609,607,342 || style="text-align:right;" | 80.787%
|-
| [[Colorado wine|Colorado]] || style="text-align:right;" | 867,935 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.115%
|-
| [[Connecticut wine|Connecticut]] || style="text-align:right;" | 112,472 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.015%
|-
| [[Delaware]] || style="text-align:right;" | 26,869 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.004%
|-
| [[Washington, D.C.|Dist. of Columbia]] || style="text-align:right;" | 17,567 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.002%
|-
| [[Florida wine|Florida]] || style="text-align:right;" | 2,441,961 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.324%
|-
| [[Georgia (U.S. state) wine|Georgia]] || style="text-align:right;" | 516,967 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.069%
|-
| [[Hawaii]] || style="text-align:right;" | 38,634 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.005%
|-
| [[Idaho wine|Idaho]] || style="text-align:right;" | 574,024 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.076%
|-
| [[Illinois wine|Illinois]] || style="text-align:right;" | 1,275,610 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.169%
|-
| [[Indiana wine|Indiana]] || style="text-align:right;" | 2,621,120 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.347%
|-
| [[Iowa wine|Iowa]] || style="text-align:right;" | 268,802 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.036%
|-
| [[Kansas wine|Kansas]] || style="text-align:right;" | 102,890 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.014%
|-
| [[Kentucky wine|Kentucky]] || style="text-align:right;" | 7,815,921 || style="text-align:right;" | 1.036%
|-
| [[Louisiana wine|Louisiana]] || style="text-align:right;" | || style="text-align:right;" |
|-
| [[Maine wine|Maine]] || style="text-align:right;" | 326,383 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.043%
|-
| [[Maryland wine|Maryland]] || style="text-align:right;" | 392,696 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.052%
|-
| [[Massachusetts wine|Massachusetts]] || style="text-align:right;" | 3,508,098 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.465%
|-
| [[Michigan wine|Michigan]] || style="text-align:right;" | 4,765,922 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.632%
|-
| [[Minnesota wine|Minnesota]] || style="text-align:right;" | 652,201 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.086%
|-
| [[Mississippi]] || style="text-align:right;" | 17,577 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.002%
|-
| [[Missouri wine|Missouri]] || style="text-align:right;" | 2,204,343 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.292%
|-
| [[Montana wine|Montana]] || style="text-align:right;" | 261,614 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.035%
|-
| [[Nebraska wine|Nebraska]] || style="text-align:right;" | 313,227 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.042%
|-
| [[Nevada]] || style="text-align:right;" | 1,526 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.000%
|-
| [[New Hampshire wine|New Hampshire]] || style="text-align:right;" | 224,868 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.030%
|-
| [[New Jersey wine|New Jersey]] || style="text-align:right;" | 2,169,172 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.287%
|-
| [[New Mexico wine|New Mexico]] || style="text-align:right;" | || style="text-align:right;" |
|-
| [[New York wine|New York]] || style="text-align:right;" | 33,084,702 || style="text-align:right;" | 4.384%
|-
| [[North Carolina wine|North Carolina]] || style="text-align:right;" | 2,857,573 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.379%
|-
| [[North Dakota]] || style="text-align:right;" | 22,989 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.003%
|-
| [[Ohio wine|Ohio]] || style="text-align:right;" | 5,779,222 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.766%
|-
| [[Oklahoma wine|Oklahoma]] || style="text-align:right;" | 66,251 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.009%
|-
| [[Oregon wine|Oregon]] || style="text-align:right;" | 17,091,139 || style="text-align:right;" | 2.265%
|-
| [[Pennsylvania wine|Pennsylvania]] || style="text-align:right;" | || style="text-align:right;" |
|-
| [[Rhode Island]] || style="text-align:right;" | 73,037 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.010%
|-
| [[South Carolina wine|South Carolina]] || style="text-align:right;" | 153,524 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.020%
|-
| [[South Dakota wine|South Dakota]] || style="text-align:right;" | 35,385 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.005%
|-
| [[Tennessee wine|Tennessee]] || style="text-align:right;" | 373,312 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.049%
|-
| [[Texas wine|Texas]] || style="text-align:right;" | 3,281,365 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.435%
|-
| [[Utah]] || style="text-align:right;" | 61,510 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.008%
|-
| [[Vermont wine|Vermont]] || style="text-align:right;" | 1,983,983 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.263%
|-
| [[Virginia wine|Virginia]] || style="text-align:right;" | 2,743,878 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.364%
|-
| [[Washington wine|Washington]] || style="text-align:right;" | 32,373,972 || style="text-align:right;" | 4.290%
|-
| [[West Virginia wine|West Virginia]] || style="text-align:right;" | 33,519 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.004%
|-
| [[Wisconsin wine|Wisconsin]] || style="text-align:right;" | 2,080,629 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.276%
|-
| [[Wyoming]] || style="text-align:right;" | 31,073 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.004%
|-
| '''Sum''' || style="text-align:right;" | '''754,584,008''' || style="text-align:right;" | '''100%'''
|}

==Appellation system==
{{details|American Viticultural Area|List of American Viticultural Areas}}
The early American [[appellation]] system was based on the political boundaries of [[U.S. state|states]] and [[County (United States)|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 Area]]s (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.<ref name="Johnson atlas, p. 269">H. Johnson & J. Robinson. ''The World Atlas of Wine'', p. 269, Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 {{ISBN|1-84000-332-4}}.</ref> For the sake of wine labeling purposes, the use of state and county appellations were [[Grandfather clause|grandfathered]] in and are still used often in lieu of AVAs. There are 276 distinct AVAs designated under U.S. law as of October 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ttb.gov/wine/established-avas |website=Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau |access-date=October 31, 2024 |title=TTB &#124; Wine &#124; Established AVAs}}</ref>

===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 (state)|Washington]] requires 95% of the grapes in a Washington wine be grown in Washington. If grapes are from two or three [[Geographic contiguity|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 [[Puerto Rico]] and [[Washington, D.C.]] Wines with this designation are similar to the [[French wine]] ''[[vin de table]]'', and can not include a [[vintage]] year. By law, this is the only appellation allowed for bulk wines [[export]]ed to other counties.<ref name="Sotheby, p. 464">T. Stevenson. ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia'' Fourth Edition, p. 464, Dorling Kindersly 2005 {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8}}.</ref>

===Semi-generic wines===
[[File:RidgeBottles.jpg|right|thumb|300px|An example of American wines using semi-generic labels of burgundy, chablis, etc.]] 
U.S. laws formerly allowed American made wines to be labeled as "American [[Burgundy wine|Burgundy]]" or "California [[champagne]]", even though these names are [[protected designation of origin|restricted]] in Europe. U.S. laws required usage to include the qualifying area of origin to go with these [[semi-generic]] names. Other semi-generic names in the United States include [[Claret]], [[Chablis (wine)|Chablis]], [[Chianti]], [[Madeira wine|Madeira]], [[Malaga (wine)|Malaga]], [[Marsala wine|Marsala]], [[Moselle (wine)|Moselle]], [[Port (wine)|Port]], [[German wine|Rhine wine]], [[Sauternes (wine)|Sauternes]] (often spelled on U.S. wine labels as ''Sauterne'' or ''Haut Sauterne''), [[Sherry]], and [[Tokay (wine)|Tokay]].<ref name="Sotheby, p. 464"/> The practice largely ceased in 2006 with the Wine Trade Agreement, though brands that were already using the terms can continue the practice, considered grandfathered in.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ttb.gov/images/industry_circulars/archives/2006/06-01.html |title=TTB - Industry Circular Number: 2006-1 |website=ttb.gov |access-date=Sep 26, 2020}}</ref>

==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 [[ethanol|alcohol]] content based on [[Alcohol by volume|percentage by volume]], state that the wine contains [[Sulfite food and beverage additives|sulfites]], and carry the [[Surgeon General of the United States|Surgeon General]]'s warning about [[Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act|alcohol consumption]].<ref name="Sotheby, pp. 465-466">T. Stevenson. ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia'' Fourth Edition, pp. 465-466, Dorling Kindersly 2005 {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8}}.</ref>

==Distribution==
{{See also|Wine shipping laws in the United States}}
Following the [[repeal of Prohibition]], the [[United States federal government]] allowed each state to regulate its own production and sale of alcohol. For the majority of states, this led to the development of a [[three-tier (alcohol distribution)|three-tier]] distribution system between the producer, wholesaler, and consumer. Depending on the state, there are some exceptions, with wineries allowed to sell directly to consumers on site at the winery or to ship wine across state lines. Some states allow interstate sales through [[e-commerce]]. In the 2005 case ''[[Granholm v. Heald]]'', the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] struck down state laws that banned interstate shipments but allowed in-state sales. This Supreme Court decision meant that states could decide to allow both out-of-state wine sales and in-state sales, or ban both altogether.<ref name="Oxford, p. 721">[[Jancis Robinson]], ed. ''[[The Oxford Companion to Wine]]'', Third Edition, p. 721; [[Oxford University Press]], 2006, {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}}.</ref>

[[Convenience store]]s 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sparefoot.com/consumers/wine-infographic/ |title=A Toast to Wine |publisher=[[SpareFoot]] |date=August 8, 2013 |access-date=January 5, 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nacsonline.com/NACS/MAGAZINE/PASTISSUES/2011/november2011/Pages/Feature11.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912175428/http://www.nacsonline.com/NACS/MAGAZINE/PASTISSUES/2011/november2011/Pages/Feature11.aspx |url-status=dead|archive-date=12 September 2012 |title=Category Close Up: Pouring on the Profits - NACS Online – Magazine – Past Issues – 2011 – November 2011 |website=www.nacsonline.com |access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref>

==Largest producers==
{{As of|2024}}, the largest producers of wine in the U.S. are:<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Top 50 Largest Wineries |url=https://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/article/282421 |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=www.winebusiness.com |language=en}}</ref>
# [[E & J Gallo Winery]] - 100 million cases sold per year
# [[The Wine Group]] - 45 million cases sold per year
#[[Trinchero Family Estates]] - 20 million cases sold per year
#[[Constellation Brands]] - 18 million cases sold per year
#[[Delicato Family Wines]] - 6 million cases sold per year
#[[Treasury Wine Estates]] - 8 million cases sold per year
# [[Bronco Wine Company]] - 8 million cases sold per year
#[[Josh Cellars|Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits]] (Josh Cellars) - 13 million cases sold per year
#[[Chateau Ste. Michelle|Ste. Michelle Wine Estates]] - 6 million cases sold per year
#[[Jackson Family Wines]] - 6 million cases sold per year
#[[Precept Wine]] - 3 million cases sold per year

==See also==
{{portal|Wine|United States}}
*[[History of wine]]
*[[List of wine-producing regions]]
*[[Winemaking]]
*[[Agriculture in the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==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==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071004053855/http://wine.appellationamerica.com/ Appellation America.com] U.S. wine region and AVA portal
*[http://www.allamericanwineries.com/ All American Wineries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805014903/http://www.allamericanwineries.com/ |date=2020-08-05 }} U.S. winery and vineyard guide
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071006155222/http://www.freethegrapes.org/wine_lovers.html#laws Free the Grapes: State wine shipment laws]
*[http://americanhistory.si.edu/doubtles/index.htm Doubtless as Good: Thomas Jefferson's Dream for American Wine Fulfilled] An online exhibition from the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

{{American wine}}
{{Wine by country}}
{{Agriculture in the United States}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American wine| ]]
[[Category:American cuisine]]
[[Category:Agriculture in the United States|Wine]]
[[Category:Wine by country]]