Did you know that every state in the United States produces wine. It’s true. Even though California alone makes 89% of all U.S. wine, there are many other wine producing regions throughout the country. In fact, wine is one of the main reasons we love traveling in the United States.
Wherever you visit, there’s likely the opportunity to visit wineries and try some of the different wines that make that region unique.
If you like traveling for wine, you should definitely check out these top 9 wine regions in the United States.
Napa Valley – California
Napa Valley is one of the most well-known and prestigious wine regions in the United States. Napa is especially known for its world-class Cabernet Sauvignon.
Real estate for grapes is expensive in the valley and that leads to premium wine prices for top wines produced in Napa Valley. Wine tasting in Napa can also be expensive. But if you know where to look, you can find some really great wines that won’t break the bank.
We really like the wineries in Calistoga and St Helena. Alpha Omega has one of the best Chardonnays I’ve ever tasted.
Top Wineries to Visit:
In Calistoga, definitely make a stop at Sterling Winery and Teachworth Wines – both incredible views. We also like Clos Pegase and Bennet Lane Winery.
In St. Helena, many of the wineries are architecturally stunning. Some of our favorites are Charles Krug, Robert Mondavi and Peju. All of these wineries are worth a visit. Expect tastings to be around $20-$40 a person for 3-4 pours of wine.
In Napa, you’ll find a great winery located right behind the Meritage Resort & Spa, called Trinitas Cellars, as well as the grand terraces and gardens of Domaine Carneros, nearby.
★ Book a wine tour:
- Napa Valley Wineries Tour Including Picnic Lunch
- Small-Group Wine-Tasting Tour through Napa Valley
- 8-Hour Custom Private Napa and Sonoma Wine Tour
Sonoma Valley – California
Sonoma is Napa’s cousin to the west. It’s more known for old vine Zinfandels. The Sonoma valley extends for many miles from north to south, and encompasses all different terroirs and climates.
Sonoma wines are less expensive than Napa, and it’s a more laid-back wine region, though the tasting rooms can get very busy. Healdsburg and Sonoma are both great homebases while wine tasting in Sonoma Valley.
Each of these cities have many wineries within walking distance, but are also within close driving distance of others, and there are many convenient restaurants.
Where to visit:
There are 18 diverse regions in Sonoma, so it’s going to be a stretch to visit the whole valley in even a handful of trips, but here are a few of our standout favorites.
- Rodney Strong
- J Vintners
- Kendall Jackson
- Gundlach Bundschu
- Cline Cellars
★ Book a wine tour:
- Sonoma County Wine Tasting Tour
- Sonoma Valley Wine Trolley Including Lunch
- 8-Hour Private Sonoma or Napa Wine Tour with Concierge Service
Columbia Valley – Washington
You may not realize that Washington State is so rich in wineries. A large part of the state’s agriculture is now devoted to vineyards. You’ll find the largest concentration of wineries in the Columbia Valley, which makes up 99% of Washington’s vineyards.
Within this valley, there are a number of towns and cities you can visit for wine. Yakima, located right in the center of the state, has more than 120 wineries, while Zillah and Prosser have a couple dozen wineries each.
Visiting the area is very easy, as long as you have a car to get around. You can generally just pop into any winery you wish to visit during business hours, for a tasting.
Wineries to visit:
From Yakima down to Prosser, here are the wineries we love to visit:
- Owen Roe
- Naches Heights Vineyard
- J Bell Cellars
- 14 Hands Winery
- Hogue Cellers
- Alexandria Nicole
Santa Barbara – California
Santa Barbara is well loved by travelers. It’s a cute town with tons of shops, markets and restaurants. The area is known for its interesting history. But you can also visit numerous wineries within the city, without even needing a car to get between them.
The two mountain ranges – Santa Ynes and San Rafael – flank both sides of the Santa Barbara valley, making a ocean-cooled and mountain-terrain climate for grape growing, which produces a great variety of grapes.
There are currently sevev recognized AVAs in the Santa Barbara wine region. Some of the best areas for wine tasting include the Funk Zone in the city of Santa Barbara, Santa Ynes wineries, the Santa Rita Hills, Solvang wineries, and Lompoc wineries.
★ Book your wine tour here:
- All-Inclusive Wine Tasting Tour from Santa Barbara
- Private Wine Tasting Tour From Santa Ynez, Solvang or Buellton
- Private All-Inclusive Wine Tasting Tour from Santa Barbara
Northern Virginia
Washington DC will always be a top destination for travelers who want to learn more about U.S. history and visit the monuments on the national mall, but one of the best off-the-beaten-path things to do in the area is visit the wineries of Northern Virginia.
You’ll especially like this region if you drink white wine. Some very good Viognier is produced in the Northern Virginia wine region, as well as peppery Cabernet Franc.
From Washington DC, you can drive to the Northern Virginia wineries in about an hour. They are spread throughout the region, with some driving distance in between.
Virginiawine.org has a comprehensive list of Northern Virginia wine trails that offer suggested wineries to visit in each area. It could take you a couple dozen trips to this area to get around to all the great wineries. You’ll notice at the tasting rooms that there are no shortage of groups in limos.
Some of our favorite wineries in Northern Virgnia are:
- Breaux’s beautiful grounds and impressive view
- Sunset Hills‘ restored historic Amish barn
- Chrysalis Vineyards lovely picnic area and pond
- Tarara‘s deck overlooking the Potomac River
- Rappahannock Cellars tremendously good wines
- Pearmund Cellars was voted best Virginia winery two years in a row
★ Plan ahead. Book your Northern Virginia wine tour
Willamette Valley – Oregon
Pinot Noir fans are right at home in the Willamette Valley, which can be found just a few miles south of Portland, Oregon. The mild climate in the valley creates a perfect environment for growing Pinot Noir.
A typical wine tasting in the Willamette valley includes a vertical tasting of 3-4 years’ production of Pinot, so you can see how the wines vary with the change of weather and terroir.
The cities of Dundee and Newberg are great homebases for wine tasting in the Willamette Valley, which stretches for many miles, from Portland in the north, to Eugene in the south. In either city, you can park the car and walk among the many wineries.
★ Plan ahead. Willamette Valley Wine Tour from Portland with Lunch
San Luis Obispo & Paso Robles – California
With a rather hot climate in central California, San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles are the perfect place to grow rich reds, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc.
It’s also one of the prettiest places to go wine tasting because the surrounding hills, where many of the vineyards are located, offer magnificent views of the valley. Located along Central California’s beautiful coast, Paso Robles is the largest AVA in California.
With over 25K acres of vineyards and 200+ wineries producing great wines, Paso Robles has became recognized as a world-class wine-growing area and no longer takes a backseat to larger regions in California.
★ Book a tour: Semi-Private Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tasting Tour from Paso Robles
Walla Walla Valley – Washington
A little known wine region in Washington State, the Walla Walla Valley produces some of the state’s best wines. Walla Walla is located in the southeastern part of the state and has perfect weather conditions for growing big fruity red wine grapes.
The terroir is often rocky and porous, which is great for growing grapes. Over the past 20 years, the Walla Walla valley has managed to expand to over 100 wineries.
There are five main wine tasting districts around town, each with at least a dozen wineries to check out. Our favorites include Sleight of Hand, Northstar and Amavi.
Finger Lakes District – New York
The Finger Lakes wineries number in the hundreds. It’s a world-class wine growing region that focuses most of its efforts on growing white wine grapes, for the production of Riesling and Gewurztraminer.
The climate is similar to cool-weather areas of Germany that grow the same grapes. You’ll also find a few cool-weather reds in the Finger Lakes as well, like Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Wine tasting in the area is nearly effortless.
Most wineries are open year round and welcome guests on a walk-in basis. The area is also great for beer tasting. Conclusion As you can see, there are many great wine regions in the United States that you can visit for wine tasting. Each is unique and interesting.
Temecula – California
You may not have heard of the Temecula Wine Region. It’s not one of the main or larger wine regions in the United States or even California, but it’s a beautiful valley with a lot of great wine, so we wanted to add it to your wine radar.
Temecula’s De Portola Wine Trail is off the beaten path. Located in the more rural, equestrian side of the Temecula Valley, this route contains quite a few amazing wineries that you must visit. I picked this particular stretch of wineries because one of my favorites is actually located here.
You can follow the order that I have laid out, or make your own way. That’s the beauty of doing your own wine tour in a luxury RV!
Start your journey at the Cougar Vineyard & Winery. It’s family owned and operated which mean that they truly care about their wine. They specialize in 100% Estate Italian varietals. Here, you can taste Primitivo, Pinot Grigio, and The Full Monte (pulciano).
From there, travel down the road to Danza del Sol Winery. It’s an Italian-countryside inspired winery that is both dog and horse friendly. You can enjoy Chardonnay Reserve, Viognier, Tres Rose, Tempranillo, and Merlot inside or on the gorgeous patio.
My personal favorite—Fazeli Cellars—is next. From just about anywhere, you can see a spectacular view of the valley. It was started in 2001 by the Fazeli family and has been going strong ever since. Their tasting offerings are Hafez, Saadi, and grape Shiraz. The Shiraz is to die for!
Want to have a multi-day adventure? Consider visiting Frangipani Estate Winery, Leoness Cellars, Masia de la Vinya, Oak Mountain Winery, and Robert Renzoni Vineyards & Winery for more great wine.
CONCLUSION
So much wine, so little time! The United States is full of great wine regions to visit, so you won’t have to go far from home to visit one. Which one will you visit first?
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Laura is the founder and editor of the travel blogs Savored Sips and Savored Journeys. She is dedicated to sharing the best information about drinks found around the world.