Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in South West France, though the grape is grown worldwide. It is increasingly celebrated as an Argentine varietal.
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, such as what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors may also apply before an appellation name may legally appear on a wine bottle label. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the country in which the wine was produced.
An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about the geographic pedigree of their wines, as wines from a particular area can possess distinctive characteristics. Consumers often seek out wines from specific AVAs, and certain wines of particular pedigrees can claim premium prices and loyal customers. If a wine is labeled with an AVA, at least 85% of the grapes that make up the wine must have been grown in the AVA, and the wine must be fully finished within the state where the AVA is located.
Vitis rotundifolia, or muscadine, is a grapevine species native to the southeastern and south-central United States. The growth range extends from Florida to New Jersey coast, and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma. It has been extensively cultivated since the 16th century. The plants are well-adapted to their native warm and humid climate; they need fewer chilling hours than better known varieties, and thrive in summer heat.
Bordeaux wine is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gironde department, with a total vineyard area of 110,800 hectares, is the largest wine growing area in France.
Wine has been produced in the United States since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84 percent of all US wine. The North American 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. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.
Washington wine is a wine produced from grape varieties grown in the U.S. state of Washington. Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine. By 2017, the state had over 55,000 acres (220 km2) of vineyards, a harvest of 229,000 short tons (208,000 t) of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries around the world from the 940+ wineries located in the state. While there are some viticultural activities in the cooler, wetter western half of the state, the majority (99.9%) of wine grape production takes place in the shrub-steppe eastern half. The rain shadow of the Cascade Range leaves the Columbia River Basin with around 8 inches (200 mm) of annual rain fall, making irrigation and water rights of paramount interest to the Washington wine industry. Viticulture in the state is also influenced by long sunlight hours and consistent temperatures.
Texas has a long history of wine production. The sunny and dry climate of the major winemaking regions in the state have drawn comparison to Portuguese wines, in addition to other regions in Europe like Spain, France, and Italy. Some of the earliest recorded Texas wines were produced by Spanish missionaries in the 1650s near El Paso. Texas ranked as the fifth largest wine producing state by 2019.
Pennsylvania wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States.
Oklahoma wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Wine production was a significant component of the Oklahoma agricultural economy in the 1920s. The industry was destroyed by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and the introduction of Prohibition in the United States. Oklahoma currently has about 52 wineries. Most of the wineries are located in Green Country, Lincoln county and surrounding areas in east central Oklahoma, Central Oklahoma and Southwest Oklahoma.
Iowa wine refers to wine manufactured in the U.S. state of Iowa. Iowa presents many challenges to viticulture including very warm summer days that can promote fungal vine diseases, and extremely cold winter nights that can kill many varieties of grapevines. Most commercial viticulture in Iowa focuses on French hybrid and native American grape varieties, with relatively few plantings of Vitis vinifera grapes. Many Iowa wineries also import grapes and juice from other states and countries in order to produce wine varietals otherwise not possible due to Iowa's harsh winter months that will not permit such grapes to survive. Iowa is home to 100 commercial wineries and more than 300 vineyards covering 1,200+ acres. Northeastern Iowa is included in the Upper Mississippi Valley AVA while the western part of the state is in the new AVA designation named Loess Hills.
Mississippi wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The hot and humid climate of Mississippi makes it very difficult to cultivate vitis vinifera or French hybrid grapes. The three commercial wineries in Mississippi focus almost entirely on the Muscadine grape, a variety also used for non-alcoholic grape juices, jams, and jellies. Most of the Mississippi Delta AVA, a designated American Viticultural Area, lies within the state boundaries of Mississippi.
Tennessee wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The state was home to a wine industry in the 19th century that was greatly impacted when Prohibition was introduced in the early 20th century. The modern Tennessee wine industry focuses on French hybrid and native grapes, which are more resistant to the fungal grapevine diseases that thrive in Tennessee's humid climate. Most of the wineries in the state are located in Middle and East Tennessee. A small portion of the Mississippi Delta AVA, a designated American Viticultural Area extends into the southwestern part of the state.
New Hampshire wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The wine industry in New Hampshire began in 1994 when two wineries, Jewell Towne Vineyards and Flag Hill Winery, each produced their first vintages from locally grown grapes. Candia Vineyards started their test plantings in 1992, and full planting in 1998. New Hampshire continues to be growing wine-producing state, with new commercial wineries opening. The state currently has no American Viticultural Areas.
North Dakota wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of North Dakota. North Dakota was the last state in the United States since Prohibition to license a commercial winery. The first bonded commercial winery in North Dakota, Pointe of View Winery, was established on April 17, 2002. Pointe of View Winery has since been joined by a second winery, Dakota Hills Winery, but both wineries focus on wine made from fruits other than grapes. Red Trail Vineyard, North Dakota's largest, makes wines exclusively from its grapes.
South Dakota wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Its region stretches between the latitudes of 42°N and 45°N sharing these latitudes with some of the most famous wine-producing areas in the world, including Bordeaux and Italy's Tuscany. South Dakota has a small wine industry, which must contend with extremes of heat in the summer and cold in the winter. The only grape species that naturally performs well in South Dakota is Vitis riparia, a species not generally used for wine production. The wineries in South Dakota have focused exclusively on cold-resistant French hybrid grapes. At present, there are no American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in South Dakota, save for the state-level appellation.
The wine industry in the U.S. state of Alabama received a boost in 2002 when agricultural reforms lifted restrictions on wineries. Most wineries in the state focus on French hybrid grape varieties and the Muscadine grape, rather than Vitis vinifera grapes, which are vulnerable to Pierce's disease. There are no designated American Viticultural Areas in the state of Alabama.
Florida wine refers to wine made from grapes and other fruit grown in the U.S. state of Florida. Wine grapes were grown in Florida earlier than anywhere else in the United States.
Montana wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Montana. There are eight wineries in Montana, with most producing wine from fruits other than grapes or from grapes grown in other states, such as California, Oregon, or Washington. The traditional grape varieties that appear to do best in the mountainous terroir of Montana are the grapes widely grown in the most northerly vineyards of France, with which Montana shares its latitudinal position of 42-49°N. There are no American Viticultural Areas in Montana.
Blanc du Bois is an American hybrid grape that was created in 1968 by John A. Mortensen at the University of Florida’s Central Florida Research and Education Center in Leesburg, Florida. Mortensen created this variety by crossing various Vitis vinifera grape varieties such as Golden Muscat with native Florida varieties. When released in 1987, Blanc du Bois became another grape variety in the small but growing number of vine types that can both produce marketable wine on their own yet can withstand Pierce's Disease, a bacterial infection that destroys nearly all vinifera vinestocks imported into the southern United States.
