All the natural and artisanal wine you are looking for

Free shipping in Italy from 89 euros

USA

SHOW FILTERS

USA: Reflections

The United States is the most important wine consumer in the world, on par with Italy, Spain and France. New York is the first wine market on the planet. And these figures are no longer just about exported wine, local consumption has really exploded in the US. With such a vast land and incredible terroir, it could not have been otherwise. When the first settlers landed in North America, they immediately noticed the vines climbing the trees; the grapes were strange but sweet, juicy and bode wonders. In reality, the next 300 years were a real disappointment for American winegrowers. The plants imported from Europe were in fact withering and dying. They had not yet discovered phylloxera and its dreadful curse. In the south and east, the plants were dying from the heat and humidity that favoured the development of diseases, in the north from the excessively cold winters. The answer lay in Vitis Labrusca, that strain of American vines that had over time developed antibodies to this pest, and which gave the wine that Foxy flavour.
As the cultivation of indigenous and European grapes began to coexist, spontaneous genetic admixtures gave rise to different, less wild-tasting varieties. Alexander, Catawba, Delaware and Isabellasome of the most important examples. The first successful American red wine was born in Ohio from the Catawba grape in 1852. In the Wet Coast the European grapevine arrived from..Mexico. The first Spanish settlers chose that very land as their first wine outpost. From there in lower California, and only in 1800 did they reach Napa. This European-Mexican origin is the reason why phylloxera and downy mildew hit the wine industry hard in California. Then there was also the Prohibition from 1915 to 1933. And it was around the 1960s that the United States was able to embark on its new wine life. Now all 50 states, including Alaska, are able to produce alcohol.
The time has come to talk about the most important cultivation territories in the US.
Oregon and Washington are the two main players in the Pacific Northwest, and they could hardly be more different. Oregon is green and wet and has always been home to artisanal winegrowers who personally tend their own, small vineyards, which they care for in a natural-organic manner. And let's face it, this is where the secret of the state's immense success has always resided.. The Range Coast mountains form a barrier to the west against the terrible Pacific winds, similar to what happens in California. Of course, here the warm currents do not bring fog, but copious rainfall, which mitigates otherwise very cold temperatures. The wines really do resemble those of Burgundy. In the eastern part of the state of Washington, on the other hand, has an arid, continental climate, and viticulture is practically on an industrial scale. Irrigation systems, mechanised harvesting, and shipping the grapes from the wineries to Seattle for vinification. As we write this, the chills that come over us are many, as are the drops of sweat that run down our foreheads. Better to focus on Oregon and Willamette Valley, whose climate is what makes it unique. Summers are cooler and wetter than in California, winters very mild. The threats are cold and rainy winters, caused by Pacific humidity, but whose effects are mitigated by the Coastal Range. This Valley is a icon somewhere between a discovery and an invention, it is a land of Pinot Noirwhich has been enchanting everyone here for over 50 years. The land is fertile and bucolic, and succeeds in the spell, unlike California, of creating in the enthusiast the illusion of drinking a good Burgundy red, albeit softer and fruitier.
California, as one would expect, deserves its own chapter, here we will simply state that 90% of American wine comes from here, and cultivation is constantly expanding. Starting from the north, the most famous areas are Mendocino and Lake County, where ocean fog easily penetrates the coastal hills and thickens low and thick. It is worth mentioning that in California coastal areas enjoy a cooler, milder climate that results in sea breezes and higher yields. This is the case of Sonoma, a little less than Carneros and Napa Valley.
From Napa come 20% of revenue for the Californian wine industry against production of only 4%This is surprising given that the common imagination, when thinking of wine from the United States, flies to these parts. This is possible thanks to the worldwide fame that this region has built up over the years, thanks to legendary pioneers such as Robert Mondavi. The most important zottozones are Rutherford, Oakville and Stags Leap.
California certainly doesn't end with Napa! The slopes East and South San Francisco Bay for example are very interesting. Here, too, some areas are truly vocated, such as Livermore Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains (an AVA), Santa Clara Valley and Monterey, which in turn boasts noteworthy terroirs, Santa Lucia Highlands, Arroyo Seco, Hames Valley, Chalone and Mount Harlan. Finally, in the Central Valley, which is more vocated for fruit and vegetables than for quality wine, we point out Sierra Foothills, El Dorado and Lodi.
And so a little focus on the Central Coast, it must be said, in less than 20 years has spawned some of the most glamorous wine regions in this part of the world, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Edna Valley and Santa Barbara, which Americans like to nickname the Californian Cote d'Or. The area is exceptional, in great development and can easily be expected to become a reference point for winelovers from all over the world.
Not far from California, we find the New Mexico, for which viticulture is made possible by the protection of the Rocky Mountains, is a state famous for sparkling wines; then comes Arizona, in whose south-eastern part we find the AVA Sonoita, which is enjoying some success thanks to Cabernet and Merlot. And then to the north is Colorado, which is recording the emergence of many wineries, a sign of growing attention to its terroir, especially when mention is made of the AVA Grand Valley that runs along the Colorado Riverexceptional for reds, but especially for Riesling.
At this point we head to Denver, take the plane, because the distances are sidereal, and head to the East Coast where Vermont, New York and Virginia are definitely worth a closer look.
In Vermont is really coldand one of our producers, La Gargista, manages to produce magnificent wines thanks to La Crescent and Frontenac Gris, crosses that can withstand even temperatures of -25. It is a totally different story for Virginia, whose vineyards lie between the Appalachians and the Chesapeake Bay. With its green meadows at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountainswhere thoroughbreds graze in white-painted corrals next to stone houses built before the Civil War. The vineyards of Virginia are only an hour away from the Capitol. The wines of this state have an addictive grit, the potential is huge in the Shenandoah Valley and within the AVA Rocky Knob.
We have come to the end of this crazy journey, which could only end in the state of New York. The hectares planted with vines in this state are second only to those in California, a good 12500, most of which are planted with Vitis Labrusca, destined for juices and jellies, which is why production is 12 times lower than in California. Long Island is a young but interesting wine region, the Americans compare it to Bordeaux, it seems a bit far-fetched at the moment, but we appreciate the parochialism. That of Finger Lakes is indeed challenging territory, the problem, if anything, is the temperatures, which in winter easily go below -20. It could not be otherwise, the Finger Lakes are glacial pits carved into the retreating glaciers from the inland sea of Lake Ontario. It is for this reason that frost-resistant Franco-American hybrids such as Seyval Blanc and Vignoles. Lastly, we mention the Hudson River, whose first commercial harvest dates back to 1829, at the Brotherhood winery, which you can find on Apewineboxes.com. In this area also an AVA dedicated to Ice Wine, the Niagara Escarpment.
With all these territories, states and regions, one might be inclined to think that the US boasts a monstrous area under vine, but the reality is that this is around 300000, less than half of Italy, a country comparable to Arizona. The hectolitres produced are well 33 million worth about EUR 1.9 billion, a figure that elevates the United States to a leader in this part of the earth.

Close ✕

Vintage

Manufacturers & Tags

Grapevine

Regions

Country

Typology

World

Format

Price

Price

Typology

Country

Regions

Vintage

Format

Grapevine

Manufacturers & Tags

en_GBEnglish (UK)
1
    1
    Your Cart
    Box Region
    USA 3 Bottles
    1 X 159,00  = 159,00 
    Scroll to Top

    become part of our

    Family