Guide
Ten American Wine Regions Worth the Trip
There are 280 official wine regions in the United States and forty or so that a visitor would actually plan a trip around. These ten cover the range: the famous, the underrated, the beautiful and the affordable. Each has enough wineries for three days, a town to stay in, and a style of wine you cannot get anywhere else.
1. Napa Valley, California
The most famous wine region in America and the most expensive to visit. Thirty miles of Cabernet Sauvignon between Napa and Calistoga, with polished estates, reservation-only tastings and restaurants to match. Go for the Cabernet, the architecture and the food; go midweek and off-season for sanity. Napa Valley wineries · Napa or Sonoma?
2. Sonoma County, California
Next door and twice the size, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the foggy coast, Zinfandel in Dry Creek and a more relaxed, walk-in culture. Healdsburg is the best wine town in the state. Sonoma County wineries
3. Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pinot Noir with a world reputation, an hour from Portland. Dundee, Newberg and McMinnville sit among the vineyards; the wines are elegant, the tasting rooms small and the landscape green. Late spring and September are ideal. Willamette Valley wineries · Pacific Northwest guide
4. Walla Walla Valley, Washington
A college town with a downtown full of tasting rooms and vineyards in the hills on both sides of the state line. Cabernet, Syrah and Merlot with real power; friendly, unhurried service. Fly in or make it the end of a Columbia Valley drive. Walla Walla wineries · the town
5. Paso Robles, California
Halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, warm and generous: Rhône blends, Zinfandel, Cabernet and a wine-bar downtown. Tasting fees are lower and welcomes warmer than further north. Paso Robles wineries · the town
6. Finger Lakes, New York
Riesling on steep slopes above Seneca, Cayuga and Keuka lakes, and some of the best-value wine in the country. Geneva, Hammondsport and Watkins Glen make good bases; summer and October are the seasons. Finger Lakes wineries · East Coast guide
7. Texas Hill Country
Highway 290 between Johnson City and Fredericksburg has become one of the busiest wine roads in America: Tempranillo, Viognier and Mourvèdre from High Plains fruit, live music and barbecue. Spring wildflowers are the time to go. Texas Hill Country wineries · Texas and Southwest guide
8. Charlottesville and the Monticello AVA, Virginia
Jefferson’s failed vineyard has become the East’s most serious wine region: Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Viognier on Blue Ridge foothills, with the university town and the mountains as a backdrop. Virginia wineries
9. Traverse City and the Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan
Riesling, sparkling wine and cherries on two peninsulas jutting into Lake Michigan, with beaches, orchards and a resort town in between. Summer is glorious and busy. Michigan wineries · Midwest guide
10. Hermann and Augusta, Missouri
The oldest wine district west of the Mississippi and America’s first AVA, an hour from St. Louis: Norton, Vignoles, German-built towns on the river and the Katy bike trail between them. Cheap, unpretentious and genuinely historic. Missouri wineries
Not on the list but close: Santa Barbara, the Sierra Foothills, the Columbia Gorge, the Verde Valley and Long Island. The full list of wine regions and the map cover the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ten American Wine Regions Worth the Trip: where does this information come from?
Winery counts and locations come from the federal TTB permit list and each producer's own website. Nothing on this page is a paid placement and we publish no ratings.
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