Best USA wines 2023: top reds and whites from America

California dominates the USA wine scene and accounts for four out of every five bottles made in the country. The Golden State has the big names, star regions and reputation, and is the first place most wine drinkers think of when the topic of US wine arises.

It’s not all about California, though – wine is, in fact, made in every single state in the US (even Alaska). Other key regions are Oregon, Washington, New York and Virginia, with producers from three of those five states claiming medals in this year’s IWSC.

Vineyards were first established in the USA in the early 1600s but it took another 150 years for the first grapes to be planted in California, with the real surge following the Gold Rush in the 1850s. European winemakers owe their American counterparts a huge debt of gratitude, too – after the phylloxera louse wreaked havoc across Europe in the late 19^th century, it was discovered that American rootstocks were resistant to the pest, and millions of cuttings were sent over to limit the devastation.

The single-most important piece of American wine history happened in the 1970s, however. The Judgement of Paris was a blind tasting organised by the late wine expert Steven Spurrier, which saw the finest French wines pitted against their Californian counterparts. To the astonishment of everyone, Californian wines came first in both white and red categories, establishing its reputation overnight.

Lieb Cellars, a producer on the North Fork of Long Island, won a silver medal for its Cabernet Franc at the 2023 IWSC

There were plenty of Californian success stories in 2023’s IWSC, with five producers in the state winning medals, including two for Kenwood Vineyards. The estate’s Pinot Noir 2019 impressed judges with its notes of cherry, crunchy redcurrent and floral hints, while its Six Ridges Chardonnay 2020 was ‘creamy and voluptuous’ with pleasing white peach and melon. Outside California, New York was the standout state in 2023 with six medal winners, including the top three wines. Boundary Breaks Vineyard took a gold medal for its Ice Wine Riesling 2020, while a dry style of the same grape from Robert Mazza in the form of Chautauqua Cellars Riesling 2018 was the second highest scorer with 93 points.

USA wines were organised by style and colour and tasted blind by a panel of experts. Judges on the panels included Demetri Walters MW, Rachael Pogmore (buyer at Enotria), Dan Belmont (buyer at Good Wine People), Wieteke Teppema (commercial director and buyer at Drop Wine) and Philipp Reinstaller (head sommelier at Trivet).

The US is capable of every wine style under the sun, so you’re sure to find one in tune with your palate – and, as the awards show, it’s worth looking beyond California. Here is our list of the best USA wines.

Which way to wine? The Union Road Wine Trail in California's Paso Robles is peppered with wineries to visit

How do we judge these wines?

We run a tightly structured, rigorous wine tasting process. That means that each wine sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC wine judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the wine industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.

How do we score these wines?

Only the best wines sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, wines have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.

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