Consider this a very brief history of wine in the United States, highlighting some fun and perhaps surprising facts. Maybe try a few of these at your next party trivia game or test that friend who claims to be a wine “expert.”
With apologies to Native American tribes, some of whom did cultivate and make wine fermented from wild grapes and other fruit long before the arrival of Europeans, wine after Europeans arrived has been produced in America since the 1560s. It was then that the first Spanish missionaries and settlers in what is now St. Augustine, Florida, planted Muscadine and Listán Prieto (“Mission”) grape vines brought from Europe. As Spanish exploration continued, the Mission grape and other varietals were planted in 1629 at the San Gabriel Mission, near what is now Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the first vineyards in California planted by Franciscan missionaries in 1769 at Mission San Diego de Alcalá.
While Spanish missionaries were clearly early wine growers in America, they were not alone. In 1619, the House of Burgesses, America’s first Colonial legislative assembly, passed “Acte 12,” requiring every male household in Virginia to plant and cultivate at least 10 vines of European vinifera grapes to make wine, in theory to ship back to England. For the most part, the plan failed, and it was not until 1768 that Virginia wine growers successfully shipped wine to England.
Other fun facts:
• The first commercial winery in the U.S. was established in Kentucky in 1799 and operated until 1809.
• The first commercially successful winery was established in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1830, growing Catawba grapes (a cross between the native “Fox” grape and Sémillon from France). Catawba wines were widely produced in the NY State Finger Lakes region and Ohio through much of the 1800s and were the most widely sold wine during this period.
• The oldest continuously operating winery in the U.S. is Brotherhood Winery, begun in 1839 in NY State.
• In the 1870s and 1880s, a tiny root aphid accidentally introduced from North America, devastated vineyards throughout France and Europe, becoming known as the phylloxera infestation. It was U.S. native root stocks, many resistant to phylloxera, that were sent to Europe to be grafted to existing varieties that effectively saved wine production in Europe.
• During the Prohibition years from 1920 to 1933, wineries were allowed to continue wine production for religious purposes. Production of wine (and alcohol) was also allowed for medicinal purposes with a doctor’s prescription at U.S. pharmacies, the wine to be sold as a medical “anti-stress remedy.” It must indeed have been a “stressful time” for many in America because pharmacies like Walgreens did quite well, expanding their operations by selling these prescriptions. Individual Americans were also allowed to make a limited amount of wine for “personal household consumption.”
• In 1976, the acclaimed “Judgement of Paris” wine competition resulted in a California Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena winning the top prize in a blind tasting. It bested the top and continually sought after French White Burgundies (Chardonnays). California vineyards and wine production exploded in the years that followed.
• Every U.S. state has at least one winery.
• California, not surprisingly, is the leading producer of wine in the U.S., responsible for approximately 80-85% of all production as of January 2025, and has the most wineries at 4,864. Oregon (874) is next, followed by Washington state (854) and Texas (527).
• In terms of production volume, the largest winery is E. & J. Gallo, established in 1933, with recent production of an estimated 95-100 million cases annually (yes, million). The next closest is The Wine Group, composed of multiple producers, at about 40 million cases annually.
• By type of wine produced and sold in the U.S. as of 2025, the leading whites are Chardonnay, followed by Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. For red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon is the leader, followed by Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
• The United States is currently 4th in world wine production, with Italy, France, and Spain, respectively, in the top spots.
-Submitted by: Jim Wolitarsky