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North American Wine Guide

To many the wines of North America mean nothing more than California, but this is plainly a short-sighted view. Although it accounts for over 90% of the wine produced in the USA, there are a number of other states producing wine, most significantly north of California in Oregon and Washington, as well as some east of the Rockies. North of the border, Canada also produces some stunning wines.

Californian Wine

In recent years California has become best known for full bodied, full throttle reds and full bodied, oaky whites made from very ripe fruit. Favoured red varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel, the latter variety having been identified as related to (if not the same as) the Italian grape Primitivo. The whites are predominantly Chardonnay. As with many wine countries of the New World, the winemakers of California are still very much finding their way when it comes to which grape varieties are suited to which regions. Hence the different geographical wine regions, referred to as American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), are not as significant as the name of the producer on the label. The AVA system, in fact, makes no stipulations as to yields or varieties used at all. The planting of Pinot Noir in cooler areas such as the Russian River Valley, however, is a sign that the Californian winemakers are on their way to finding more meaning in the AVA system.

California - The North Coast

Map of California The Napa Valley remains central to the Californian wine industry. It lies just north of San Francisco Bay, and is home to many of the Cabernet Sauvignons for which the state has become famous. Many of these wines match or exceed classed growth claret for price. Such highly prized, highly sought after 'Cal-Cabs' are often referred to as 'cult wines', and they reach phenomenal prices at auction. The prime example is Screaming Eagle, running to a production of just 500 cases annually. Top wines come from the AVAs of Rutherford, Oakville, St Helena, Howell Mountain and the Stag's Leap District. Abutting San Francisco Bay and lying partly in the Napa Valley and partly in Sonoma is the cooler Carneros AVA, responsible for some good Pinot Noir.
My top wines: Diamond Creek, Beringer, Frog's Leap, Hess Collection, Mondavi, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Beaulieu Vineyard, Heitz Cellars, Cakebread, Opus One, Acacia, Caymus, Clos du Val, Dominus, Freemark Abbey, Joseph Phelps and Ravenswood, among others. Schramsberg make what is regarded by many as California's finest sparkling wine.

Nearby, Sonoma also produces some fine wines, with reds again predominating. Top AVAs here include the Alexander Valley and Sonoma Valley. The Russian River Valley and Carneros have developed a reputation for Pinot Noir, their cooler climates suiting this variety.
My top wines: Saintsbury, Matanzas Creek, Arrowood, Kistler, Jordan and Laurel Glen.

Further north are the less significant Anderson Valley and Potter Valley AVAs, in Mendocino, and the Clear Lake AVA in Lake.
My top wines: Roederer Estate, the Californian outpost of the Champagne house, makes some good sparklers. Good value table wines can be had from Fetzer (both in Mendocino).

California - Further South

Not far south of San Francisco Bay are the Santa Clara Valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains. The latter is home to one of California's most eccentric winemakers, Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, working with all manner of varieties including those of the Rhône, such as Grenache and Viognier, as well as some Italian grapes. Also to be found here is Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards, who raises excellent wine from a number of different sites in California.
My top wines: Ridge Vineyards, one of California's top estates and yet still fairly priced. Bonny Doon.

Moving further south through Monterey are the less significant regions Carmel Valley, Arroyo Seco, Paso Robles and Edna Valley. These seem to be a real jumble of wine regions with, as far as I can tell, no great identity of their own. There are a few appealing wines produced here, though.
My top wines: Jekel, Mount Eden.

More significant is Santa Barbara, incorporating the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley AVAs. There is a mixture of wine styles produced, including varietal Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as some Rhône like wines.
My top wines: Au Bon Climat, Qupé, Foxen and Sanford.

Further inland is San Joaquin, a region of little interest save for the interesting dessert and fortified wines produced here by Andrew Quady.
My top wines: Quady.

Much further south, near the Mexican border, there are vineyards at Temecula and the San Pasqual Valley.

Californian Vintages

Good vintages include 1997, 1996, 1995 and 1994. The top vintage in recent years was 1991, but 1990, 1989 and 1988 were all very good, as was 1985.

Washington and Oregon

North of California, the cooler states of the Pacific Northwest are gradually increasing production. Of particular interest in Oregon is the Pinot Noir, as the cool climate may suit this variety. In recent years there has been a massive expansion of vineyards planted with Burgundian clones.
My top wines: Domaine Drouhin (Oregon). Of particular interest is Beaux Frères, a vineyard producing Pinot Noir, which is owned in part by the famous American wine critic Robert Parker.

Canada

There are some vineyards in Canada, mainly in Ontario. As with the Pacific Northwest, some feel that the climate is suitable for Pinot Noir, and a number of famous Burgundian names have purchased land here. Canada's forte, however, is icewine, a dessert wine produced when the grapes are left to freeze on the vine, exactly the same method for producing the German eiswein. Due to European legislation these wines were not imported into the UK until 2001, and I have not yet had the opportunity to try a representative sample.
My top wines: Chateau des Charmes, Mission Hill.