1776 — 1800 · Founding Era
Madeira & the Founders’ Table
Fortified to survive the ocean crossing, Madeira was the wine of the Revolution, raised to toast the signing of the Declaration.
What they sippedMadeira, Port, Old World importsShop Madeira
Celebrate 250 Years of Wine In America
From the Founders’ table to the Judgment of Paris—the regions, pioneers, and bottles that built American wine.
This is American Wine Country — All of it.
250 years in, American wine is a 50 state story. From the Pacific to the Atlantic coast, there’s never been a better moment to pour a wine that's made here.
250
Years of American Independence
50
States that now make wine (all 50 + D.C.)
11,000+
Wineries across the U.S. (~11,450, 2025)
1976
The year America won the Judgment of Paris
$323B
Annual U.S. economic impact of wine
763,000+
Acres of American vineyard
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Regional Spotlights
Pinot Noir
Oregon · Willamette Valley
Drouhin · Ponzi · Adelsheim · Cristom · Elk Cove
Explore Oregon Wines →
Cabernet
Washington · Columbia & Walla Walla
Leonetti · L’Ecole Nº 41 · Quilceda Creek
Explore Washington Wines →
Riesling
New York · Finger Lakes
Dr. Konstantin Frank · Hermann J. Wiemer · Ravines · Red Newt
Explore New York Wines →
Viognier & Cab Franc
Virginia · Jefferson Country
Barboursville
Explore Virginia Wines →Shop by Price
An American pour at every price.
American Wine Timeline
The 250-year road to American wine.
How a nation that imported every bottle became one of the world’s great wine countries.
1800 — 1849 · Early Republic
Catawba, the homegrown grape
Along the Ohio River, Nicholas Longworth turned the native Catawba grape into America’s first hit sparkling wine, and New York’s Finger Lakes soon made it their own.
What they sippedCatawba, sparkling CatawbaShop Catawba1850 — 1919 · Gold Rush
Zinfandel comes west
As the Gold Rush flooded California with people, Italian immigrants planted the grape they knew from home as Primitivo, and Zinfandel became the backbone of a booming young wine industry.
What they sippedZinfandel, field blendsShop Zinfandel1920 — 1933 · Prohibition
The lights go out
The Eighteenth Amendment shuttered all but a handful of wineries. An industry — and a generation of knowledge — was nearly lost.
1934 — 1975 · The Rebuilding
The jug-wine years, then Mondavi
Repeal restarted the industry slowly. Robert Mondavi’s 1966 Napa winery signaled an ambition no one saw coming.
What they sippedJug reds, early varietal bottlingsShop California reds1976 · Judgment of Paris
The day America won
In a blind Paris tasting, California Cabernet and Chardonnay beat France’s finest — and changed the wine world overnight.
What they sippedNapa Cabernet, Napa ChardonnayShop Napa Cabernet1977 — 1999 · American Renaissance
Oregon, Washington, Napa luxury
Pinot found Oregon, Cabernet found Washington, and Napa went luxury. American wine matured into a global force.
What they sippedOregon Pinot, WA Cabernet, cult NapaShop the renaissance2000 — Today · Regional Revolution
Wine in all 50 states
World-class wine now comes from every corner — Finger Lakes Riesling, Virginia Cab Franc, Texas Tempranillo and beyond.
What they sippedEverything, everywhereShop American wineWhat the Founders Drank
Founding Favorites
American wine starts with what the Founders drank. Two and a half centuries later, wines from these regions are still collector favorites.
Jefferson’s Cellar List
In 1787, America’s first true wine connoisseur toured France’s vineyards, ranked the great estates himself, and brought the Old World home to Virginia.
Hermitage Blanc
“The White Hermitage is the first wine in the world without a single exception.”
Château Lafite
Listed among the top Médoc wines; helped build its US reputation.
Château Haut-Brion
Toured Bordeaux 1787; ranked the estates; bought in high quantity.
Chambertin
Visited Burgundy in person; wrote extensively on its vineyards.
Château d’Yquem
Bought repeatedly; the luxury sweet-wine standard of the era.
George Washington
Madeira
The wine of the founding era. Madeira was raised to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and it stayed a favorite of Washington’s his entire life.
Shop Madeira
James & Dolley Madison
Champagne
The wine of the Madison White House. Dolley’s celebrated dinners ran on Champagne, and it stayed a fixture at their table.
Shop Champagne
Benjamin Franklin
Burgundy & Bordeaux
As America’s diplomat in Paris, Franklin became a devoted Francophile at the table. French reds were his everyday indulgence.
Shop French RedsAll American Wine
However you Pour American
This is where the American wine story keeps going.
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