California
Mediterranean
The engine of American wine: a long, sunny, Pacific-cooled state that makes the great majority of US wine, from Napa Cabernet to Sonoma Chardonnay.
Overview
About California
Spanish missionaries planted the first vines in California in the 18th century, and the Gold Rush and European immigrants expanded them in the 19th. After Prohibition the state rebuilt, and in 1976 the Judgment of Paris — in which Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' Cabernet Sauvignon and Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay outscored French rivals in a blind tasting — changed international perception.
Today California ranges from the great North Coast regions of Napa and Sonoma, through the cool Central Coast (Santa Barbara, Paso Robles) and the Sierra Foothills, to the vast Central Valley, whose warm plains produce a large share of the state's everyday wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel are all important.
Hover a marker to see what's grown there, and click it to open that place. On a touch screen, tap once to preview and again to open. Bigger markers have more grapes linked to them.
United States of America
Shaded: California. Map units are states, provinces or départements, so a smaller place appears as the larger area that contains it.
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Mediterranean
Dry, sunny growing seasons with little summer rain. Cold Pacific currents and fog drawn through gaps in the coastal hills create cool zones near the sea, while inland valleys are much hotter.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Complex tectonic geology: volcanic and sedimentary soils in the North Coast, marine sediments such as shale and limestone in the Central Coast, and granitic and alluvial soils inland.
Go deeper
Rules, years & producers
California's appellations run from a whole state down to a single vineyard's neighbourhood, and none of them ranks quality.
AVA
Named areas such as Napa Valley, Sonoma Coast, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County, where 85% of grapes must come from the area.
County and regional
Broader labels like North Coast and Central Coast, and county names, which need 75% from the area.
California
A statewide label that requires all the grapes to be grown in California.
Within California
Subregions
What's grown here
Grapes
Grapes linked to California or to a place within it. Each grape's page links back here.
Alicante Bouschet
Widely shipped for home winemaking during Prohibition, and still grown in old vineyards.
Barbera
Widely planted, often in the Central Valley and the Sierra Foothills.
Chardonnay
Rich, ripe, often oak-aged styles that defined the grape's global commercial rise.
Colombard
Widely planted as French Colombard for crisp, easy-drinking blends.
Durif
Sold as Petite Sirah, for dark, tannic wines that age slowly.
Merlot
Approachable, plush varietal wines that drove the grape's 1990s popularity boom.
Muscat Hamburg
Grown as a table grape and for aromatic dessert wine.
Ruby Cabernet
Its home, for easy-drinking, fruity blends.
Sauvignon Blanc
Often called Fumé Blanc; ranges from crisp and citrusy to riper, oak-aged styles.
Viognier
Grown for rich, floral whites in the Rhône-inspired tradition.
Zinfandel
Old-vine plantings, some over a century old, produce the grape's most celebrated modern expressions.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Grown in Napa Valley, Oakville, Rutherford and 1 more.