The Future of the US Wine Industry: Beyond California Boomers

All the growth in American production is now in other states. Maybe the key to counteracting the industry’s slump is there too.

Wineries need to be closer to where consumers live.

A pleasant way to while away a few minutes (or hours if you’re really into it) is to visit the American Viticultural Area Map Explorer hosted by the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Trade and Tax Bureau, aka the TTB. The greatest concentration of these official wine regions — the easier-going cousins of France’s appellations d’origine contrôlée — is, not surprisingly, in California. So is the most famous one, the Napa Valley American Viticultural Area. But most other states now have them, too.

The biggest appears to be the Ozark Mountains AVA, which covers about 55,000 square miles (142,000 square kilometers) in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma; the smallest is reputedly the Cole Ranch AVA in California’s Mendocino County, which is less than a quarter of a square mile and is owned in its entirety by a guy named Mike. The oldest is the Augusta AVA in the western exurbs of St. Louis, which was established in June 1980, two years after the Treasury Department finalized the rule creating the designations and seven months before Napa Valley got the nod. The newest is the Contra Costa AVA in the eastern suburbs of San Francisco, established this month. There’s an Ulupalakua AVA on the island of Maui, a Texoma AVA on the Texas-Oklahoma border, a Tip of the Mitt AVA in Michigan and a Martha’s Vineyard AVA off the coast of Massachusetts. And so on.

About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!