How does one begin to explore wineries in the U.S? Well, by traveling the wine trails most wine producing regions have created for all of us wine tourists of course!
California Wine Trails
California has over 427,000 acres planted under vines mostly located in a stretch of land covering over 700 miles from Mendocino County to the southwestern tip of Riverside County. There are over 107 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), including the well known Napa, Russian River Valley, Rutherford and Sonoma Valley AVAs.
The 61 member wineries of the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley are mainly family-owned and operated and most have estate vineyards. The pride and the diversity of the people who live and work within this narrow, gentle geography are reflected in the special character of Dry Creek Valley grapes and wines.
Deux Amis Winery
Teldeschi Winery
Dry Creek Vineyard
Talty Vineyards & Winery
Pezzi King Vineyards
Monterey’s River Road district is home to some of the state’s most cutting-edge vintners. Monterey county has nine distinct appellations and gets its diversity from the unique interplay of the Salinas River Valley, Monterey Bay, and the Pacific Ocean.
Chalone Vineyard
Pessagno Winery
Wrath
Hahn Estates
Paraiso
Located in Paso Robles wine appellation, which is the fastest growing in California, the Northern Star trail is an exciting journey into the heart of Paso Robles most unique wine region. Conveniently located off highway 101 midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Locatelli Vineyards & Winery
Ranchita Canyon Vineyard
RiverStar Vineyards
Silver Horse Vineyard & Winery
Sylvester Winery
Santa Barbara contains two wine trails within its system. The Santa Ynez trail winds in and around Solvang and Los Olivos. Most of the wineries are smaller and close together. The vineyards on this wine trail are varied in wine style and production. The Foxen Canyon Trail on the other hand features more ranch-style vineyards.
Firestone Vineyard
Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard
Zaca Mesa Winery
Buttonwood Farm Winery
At the southern, coastal end of the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation, about 20 minutes south of Santa Cruz, and an hour south of San Jose, there is a temperate little valley and mountain area called Corralitos. In this idyllic spot for grape growing, four independent, family-owned wineries have established the Corralitos Wine Trail.
Nicholson Ranch Winery
Pleasant Valley Vineyards
Windy Oaks Estate
Alfaro Family Vineyard & Winery
Madera County has a long tradition producing wine and is one of the oldest grape growing regions in America. There are now several small, family-owned wineries in Madera County, making up the Madera Wine Trail. Many of these wineries are situated in the midst of the vineyards from which they harvest their grapes.
Birdstone Winery
Ficklin Vineyards
Chateau Lasgoity Winery
Mariposa Wine Company
The 29 mile Silverado Trail runs along the east side of the valley from Calistoga at the northern end to Napa at the southern end. The Silverado Wine Trail is considered by locals as the back road of Napa Valley. Silverado scenic roadway is lined with vineyards and offers wine tasters a fabulous selection of wineries.
Chimney Rock Winery
Stags Leap Wine Cellars
Pine Ridge Winery
Robert Sinskey Vineyards
PlumpJack Winery
Rutherford Hill Winery
Duckhorn Vineyards
Clos Pegase Winery
Connecticut Wine Trails
The Connecticut Wine Trail is a set of 19 state approved wineries located in the state of Connecticut. The wineries are divided into two groups, the Western Trail and the Eastern Trail. The wineries comprising each group are "connected" by a route that is signed on major state highways. The wine trail is a major tourist attraction and is featured on most tour guides for Connecticut. The wine trail was established in 1988.
Illinois Wine Trails
In 2006, Shawnee Hills, in southern Illinois, was named the state's first American Viticultural Area. As of 2008, there were 79 wineries in Illinois, utilizing approximately 1,100 acres of vines. Twelve grape varieties accounties for 89% of grape area harvested in Illinois. The favorite varieties, in descending order by area devoted to production, were Chardonel, Chambourcin, Vignoles, Traminette, Concord, Foch, Seyval, Norton, Vidal Blanc, Frontenac, Niagara, and Cayuga White.
Indiana Wine Trails
Wine has been produced in the area since the early days of European colonization in the 18th century. In the mid-1800s, Indiana was the tenth-largest winegrape producing state in the country. There is one American Viticultural Area (AVA), the Ohio River Valley AVA, in Indiana.
Maryland Wine Trails
Maryland has four distinct growing regions, allowing for a wide diversity of grape varieties that will thrive throughout the State. The industry has grown rapidly since the first winery in Maryland, Boordy Vineyards, opened in 1945.
Michigan Wine Trails
As of 2007, there were 2,000 acres under wine-grape cultivation and 64 commercial wineries in Michigan, producing 425,000 cases of wine (1 million U.S. gallons). Wine and wine tourism were estimated in 2007 to be a $100 million industry. Most of the quality bottled wine of Michigan is produced in the four listed American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) of Fennville AVA, Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Leelanau Peninsula AVA, and the Old Mission Peninsula AVA. Besides grape wine, Michigan is a leader in the production of fruit wines such as cherry wine.
New Jersey Wine Trails
New Jersey’s climate and soil conditions allows for a variety of grapes to grown. Grape varietals include Chardonnay, Riesling, Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin and Marechal Foch. Many other varieties are also grown in New Jersey.
New York Wine Trails
New York ranks third in grape production by volume after California and Washington. Eighty-three percent of New York's grape area is Vitis labrusca varieties (mostly Concord). The rest is almost split equal between Vitis vinifera and French hybrids. The range of wines made in New York include Riesling, Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, sparkling wines, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
In the heart of the Finger Lakes is the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail offering a unique blend of fine wines, scenic waterfalls and local gourmet eateries.
Americana Vineyards
Buttonwood Grove Winery
Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery
Cobblestone Farm Winery and Vineyard
The Wine Trail is about 40 miles long and runs amidst 30,000 acres of vineyards along Lake Erie in western New York and Pennsylvania in “America’s Grape Country”. Twenty-one wineries produce award winning wines including vinifera, ice wines, fruit wines, and specialty wines such as brandies and ports.
Arrowhead Wine Cellars
Blueberry Sky Farm Winery
Heritage Wine Cellars
Mazza Chautauqua Cellars
The Dutchess Wine Trail leads you past the vineyards, orchards and farms that provide the bounty of the beautiful Hudson River Valley. Along the way, sample wines that have gained international recognition while you tour wine cellars and chat with owners and winemakers.
Clinton Vineyards
Millbrook Vineyards
The Hamptons Wine Trail located on the South Fork of Long Island is comprised of a number of wineries. This area is most suited to growing Chardonnay and Merlot, Cab Franc and Cab Sauvignon.
Wolffer Estate Sagpond Vineyards
Channing Daughters Winery
Old Field Vineyards
Bedell Cellars
Spend a day, a weekend, or a week traveling along the shores of beautiful Keuka Lake, the most picturesque of New York's pristine Finger Lakes. Visit the eight wineries of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail, enjoying the unique tasteful experience each has to offer.
Keuka Spring Vineyards
Barrington Cellars
Ravines Wine Cellars
McGregor Vineyard Winery
Explore the award-winning wineries along the Niagara Wine Trail just 1.5 hours from Toronto or Rochester, 1/2 hour from Buffalo, and minutes from Niagara Falls, the Niagara Wine Trail awaits the traveler seeking a beautiful combination of wineries, sleepy back wood farm vistas, and a truly rural life within an afternoons drive.
Arrowhead Spring Vineyards
Eveningside Vineyards
Honeymoon Trail Winery
Winery at Marjim Manor
From Aquebogue to Greenport, 20-plus wineries and vineyards—the majority on or close to routes 25 or 48—are open to the public for tastings.
Ternhaven Cellars
Palmer Vineyards
Paumanok Vineyards
The Seneca Lake Wine Trail is a community of wineries organized near Seneca Lake, one of eleven lakes that make up the Finger Lakes Region located in New York State. The Finger Lakes unique geology and topography is what makes the area hospitable for grape growing.
Belhurst Winery
Fox Run Vineyards
Seneca Shore Wine Cellars
Torrey Ridge Winery
The Shawangunk Wine Trail is nestled between the famous Shawangunk Mountains and the majestic Hudson River. The Trail is just 85 miles north of New York City. The Trail is composed of ten family owned wineries from New Paltz in Ulster County to Warwick, in Orange County.
Adair Vineyards
Applewood Winery
Baldwin Vineyards
Brotherhood Winery
Oregon Wine Trails
The state of Oregon in the United States has established an international reputation for its production of wine. Oregon has several different growing regions within the state's borders which are well-suited to the cultivation of grapes; additional regions straddle the border between Oregon and the states of Washington and Idaho. Wine making dates back to pioneer times in the 1840s, with commercial production beginning in the 1960s.
Pennsylvania Wine Trails
The climate in Pennsylvania is mild compared to surrounding states, with the moderating effects of Lake Erie to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. More than 90 wineries are located in all parts of the state, including five designated American Viticultural Areas. Pennsylvania is the eighth-largest wine producing state in the country.
Rhode Island Wine Trails
Viticulture in Rhode Island began in 1663 when King Charles II of England included wine production among the land uses approved in the royal charter establishing Rhode Island as an English colony. The modern wine industry of Rhode Island began in 1975 when Sakonnet Vineyards was established near Little Compton. Located near the Atlantic Ocean, Rhode Island has one of the most moderate climates of the U.S. northeast.
The New England/Rhode Island viticultural appellation, called the Southeastern New England Wine Growing Appellation, stretches from Cape Cod and the Islands through the South Coast of Massachusetts and Coastal Rhode Island and Coastal Connecticut. The Coastal Wine Trail winds through the heart of the Southeastern New England Wine Growing Appellation.
Greenvale Vineyard
Newport Vineyards and Winery
Running Brook Vineyards
Sakonnet Vineyards
Texas Wine Trails
Texas has a long history of wine production. The sunny and dry climate of the major wine making regions in the state have drawn comparison to Portuguese wines. Some of the earliest recorded Texas wines were produced by Spanish missionaries in the 1650s near El Paso. The state is home to over 36 members of the Vitis grape vine family with fifteen being native to the state, more than any other region on earth.
Virginia Wine Trails
Wine has been produced in the area since the early days of European colonization in the 17th century. Virginia has hot humid summers that can be challenging to viticulture. Since 2000, Chardonnay has been the most produced grape variety, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, and Cabernet Franc. French hybrids and native American grape varieties account for nearly 20% of total winegrape production in the state.
Washington Wine Trails
Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine, behind only California. By 2006, the state had over 31,000 acres of vineyards, a harvest of 120,000 short tons of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries around the world from the 600 wineries located in the state. Geographically and viticulturally, Washington is divided into section separated by the Cascade Mountain chain.