American Wines

American wines have their own charm. The vines that produce our wines were all imported originally from Europe and belong to the famed Vitis vinifera species of grapes. Though the vines are the same, our soil and climate produce a grape of different flavor.

American wines are known by their varietal and their generic names. The varietal wine is named after the grape that it is produced from, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Gamay, etc. By law, in California, a wine can be called after a particular grape if only 51 percent or more of the wine is produced from that grape. A varietal wine characteristically possesses the aroma, flavor, and distinctive color of the grape whose name it bears. Usually a varietal wine is superior to a generic wine, but not necessarily so.