184.2 - Wine Regions in the United States: A Virtual Tour with Key Vocabulary 🍇
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Hi, everybody. My name is Shawna, and this is the American English Podcast. My goal here is to teach you the English spoken in the United States. Through common expressions, pronunciation tips, and interesting cultural snippets or stories, I hope to keep this fun, useful, and interesting. Let's do it. Hi, everyone. Welcome back.

I'm so excited right now. I wish you guys could see me. I'm actually in my recording room for the first time recording the first episode. I hope the audio sounds okay. But as I mentioned on Instagram last week, I've been putting this room together for about, I don't know, maybe a month or so.

adding panels and baseboards and molding. And it's just so exciting to have an official space to record these episodes. I've been moving sound panels to and from my office so that I can record in a nice space. Other times I've been recording in a closet.

which probably sounds ridiculous, but I know that a lot of podcast hosts record from a closet because there's less echo, because the clothing functions as sound panels. But anyway, so I feel comfortable now. Maybe I'll have to do more chatting, more episodes. Yeah, we'll see what comes from this. In any case, I'm really excited about today's lesson. Just so you guys are aware,

we will be talking about alcohol. This is all about wine. And so if you're not interested in alcohol or wine, please skip to another episode. I understand that there are a lot of listeners who are

under the legal drinking age, and I don't want to be a bad influence on you. But I have to admit, I do like wine. I grew up in Northern California, about 10 minutes away from Napa Valley, which if you're familiar with wine, you probably know about. Napa is one of the biggest wine regions in the United States.

And so that was what I grew up around. I had a lot of vineyards surrounding the area where I worked at my first job. I worked on a fruit farm, fruit and vegetable farm called Larry's Produce. And around me, it was all vineyards.

Actually, my first boyfriend, when I was 16 years old, owned a winery. And so we spent a lot of time out in the fields going on ATVs through the vineyards. It's a part of my life that I guess I didn't really appreciate it as much as I do now. But just the point is, is that I grew up in wine country.

And so in English, we sometimes say wine country, which means a wine region. So I could say I'm in wine country right now. I'm in an area where you will see vineyards, right? That's spelled vineyard, V-I-N-E-Y-A-R-D, but we pronounce it vineyard. And there might be wineries, a place where you can go wine tasting.

So yeah, let's go ahead and we're going to begin this topic. We'll start by teaching words you must know that are related to wine. Then we'll talk about wine history in the United States.

Last but not least, I'll describe the different wine regions and what you should order at each one. I'd also like to explain what the vibe is at each place, just in case you want to visit. To wrap up, I'll teach you how to confidently order wine in English. So let's begin with wine. Do you know what wine is?

Wine is an alcoholic drink made of fermented grapes. And where do grapes grow? Well, grapes grow in bunches on vines. You'll see a lot of grape vines in vineyards. Once again, vineyards is spelled V-I-N-E-Y-A-R-D-S.

And vineyards are beautiful, especially in late fall, right before the harvest, when the leaves turn orange. It's just beautiful. So on many vineyards, there are wineries. A winery is a place where you can sip wine or you can go wine tasting.

The goal of tasting wine is to see which ones you enjoy and which ones are not your cup of tea. We all have different tastes. Now, I'm not a sommelier. A sommelier is someone who has studied wines intensely and can talk about the subtle notes within a wine. I'm not even a wine expert.

But I grew up near wine country and have lived in a bunch of different wine regions, including Santa Barbara and La Rioja in Spain. Let's begin with the history of wine in the United States. Wine has been around for thousands of years, but it didn't just magically appear in Napa Valley one day.

The journey to the U.S. is filled with adventure, a bunch of failure, and honestly, some really stubborn grape lovers. Now, the first recorded attempt at growing European wine grapes in North America was back in the early 1600s when the Jamestown settlers landed in Virginia.

They later, of course, found out that Native Americans were living in Virginia and that Native American grapes weren't as cooperative as their European cousins. So early settlers who tried to use the grapes on those grapevines failed miserably. Now let's fast forward to the 18th century.

Thomas Jefferson, as I've mentioned multiple times before, was the third president of the United States. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. And what you might not know is that he was a wine enthusiast. And he was convinced that Virginia could be the next Bordeaux. So he planted vineyards at Monticello. Monticello's the area where he lived in Virginia.

He dreamed of having world-class wines on American soil, but the vines just did not care about his dreams. They kept dying. It turns out that American soil had a little pest called phylloxera, and it destroyed European grapevines. A pest, as you probably know, is a bug, a bug that you do not want.

So the real game changer came later, when French and Italian immigrants brought their winemaking skills to places like California, Texas, and New York. They figured out that blending European vines with heartier American rootstocks was the key to survival. So by the late 1800s, California, especially Napa and Sonoma,

had found its groove. What do I mean by they found their groove? They were getting the hang of it. They found a way to manage grapes. Then, just as things were getting good, prohibition came along.

Prohibition happened from 1920 until 1933, and it was a time when no alcohol was legally allowed to be sold in the United States. So what happened was it crushed the industry. Wineries were forced to shut down, and vineyards were either ripped out or were secretly used for making sacramental wine, the wine that you drink at church.

The United States wine industry, like a good Cabernet, only got stronger with age. They had a comeback in 1976. Now, at the time, wine from California was considered second-rate. By second-rate, I mean not as good. It's sort of like the B-side of a record. The A-sides with the good songs, B-sides. Not so good. Second-rate.

French wine, on the other hand, was considered first-rate. They were globally recognized as the best wine on the market. How could the United States compete against France? Well, something happened that actually allowed them to compete. Literally.

The Judgment of Paris occurred in 1976, and it changed the wine industry for the United States and debatably for the world. So what happened? The Judgment of Paris was an event organized by Stephen Spurrier, a British wine merchant living in Paris. So Spurrier was a fan of French wines, but had recently become intrigued by what was happening in California.

Winemakers in Napa Valley and Sonoma were starting to gain recognition for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. But they weren't taken seriously on the world stage. As I mentioned, they were considered second-rate. For fun, to see how these wines compared to French wines, Spurrier arranged a blind tasting with nine of France's most elite wine critics, sommeliers.

and winemakers as judges. They were all deeply loyal to French wine, but the test was blind, so they had no idea which wines were from California and which were from France. Of course, they believed that the French wines would win. Now, the competition included two categories—

White wines, so California Chardonnay versus a French Burgundy. And red wines, the California Cabernet Sauvignon and the French Bordeaux. So this competition was Californian wines against some of France's most legendary bottles from Bordeaux and Burgundy. Now, after carefully swirling, to swirl means to spin in circles, sniffing,

to smell, usually quickly, sipping, drinking small amounts, and scoring the wines. So writing down what their scores were, if they were an 8 out of 10 or a 10 out of 10. So after swirling, sniffing, sipping, and scoring the wines, the results were revealed. And they were historic. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.com.

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your well-being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com slash American English today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash American English. The top-ranked wine was from Napa Valley, the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. The top-ranked red wine was Stag's Leap Wine Cellars from Napa Valley.

And the judges who assumed they were choosing French wines were in total disbelief when they realized that their top choices were actually from California. Some even tried to argue that the results were incorrect. I won't go into that. The point is not to say that Californian wine is better than French wine. Honestly, I would never say that. But good grapes and good wine can come from around the world.

That is what the message was. Now, what's most interesting about this story is the aftermath. The judges, as I mentioned, were elite French wine connoisseurs. They were very well respected. And so this story put California on the map as a serious winemaking region. Napa Valley, Sonoma, and other wine regions in the U.S. have risen to fame because of it.

Now today, the U.S. is the fourth largest wine producer in the world, and wine culture here has never been bigger. So the history lesson is over. Let's talk about where you can find some great wine in the United States today. So the best wine regions in the United States. Hmm. Can it be narrowed down?

As of October 29, 2024, the United States had 276 American viticultural areas, in other words, officially designated wine-grape-growing regions, across 34 states. That's a lot of wine country. But for the sake of this episode, we're going to focus on some of the most famous wine

And I want this to be sort of a virtual wine tour for you. I want you to experience some of these places through my words. So imagine the scenery, the flavors, and the experience of what it would be like being at one of these incredible wine regions. I'll mention six.

The first I have is Napa Valley, California, which is also known as the Hollywood of wine. So picture this. You're driving along the Silverado Trail, rolling vineyards, stretching across the hills on either side.

The sun casts a golden glow over rows of neatly planted grapevines, and elegant chateau-style wineries appear one after another. Now, visiting Napa Valley is like stepping into a wine lover's dream. Or, as I like to think of it, it's sort of like Disneyland or Hollywood. There's a lot going on.

And it's really one winery after the next. It's home to big, bold Cabernet Sauvignons. And tasting rooms here, well, there, technically, they're world class. Some wineries have candlelit wine caves. Others sell cheese and charcuterie. And you can have picnics on the vineyards. That's what we normally do when we go there.

You can also go all out. You can take a hot air balloon ride over the vineyards or even go on the wine train, which is a train that goes through the vineyards and you can have wine and cheese and all that charcuterie while looking at the fantastic views. My parents are obsessed with it. They always do it on special occasions.

Now, Napa isn't just about wine. Of course, wine and food go well together. People like to pair wine with food. And so it's a foodie's paradise. You'll find Michelin star restaurants. Thomas Keller is based there, who is the most decorated, as we say, Michelin star chef in the United States. I can go on about Napa.

It's just very, very nice. If you like boutique hotels and spa treatments, there's also a few charming small towns around Napa, like Yontville. It's spelled Yountville, but pronounced Yontville. And St. Helena, I could definitely recommend them. According to AI, and this is AI, this is not me, I asked what is a comparable region to Napa in the world, and it listed Bordeaux, France.

And why? Well, Bordeaux is also famous for Cabernet Sauvignon-based blends and that they're structured wines that age beautifully and that they also have an air of sophistication. So like Napa, Bordeaux has Grand Chateau, so sort of castle-like wineries and very prestigious ones.

So Bordeaux is a little bit more traditional maybe than Napa. Napa embraces innovation. Once again, this is AI's description of it. All I can say is I've been to Napa many times. It's fantastic for a weekend getaway, a week-long trip. It's very nice. So if Napa is the Hollywood of wine, Sonoma is its chill, artsy brother.

So, in Sonoma, the atmosphere is more relaxed and rustic. And the wines? Well, just as good, in my opinion. They're known for their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Now, to give you an idea of what it's like, imagine sitting at a family-run winery, sipping a glass of cool Chardonnay while looking over fog-covered hills and ancient oak trees.

Instead of giant wine estates like the Chateau you'll see in Napa, which is not too far away, by the way, you'll find charming farmhouses where winemakers themselves pour your glass.

Now, one of the best things about Sonoma is that it's closer to the coast. So you can actually take a detour to Bodega Bay and you can sip wine with an ocean view. You can slurp down some fresh oysters. To slurp down means to like suck up and swallow.

So yeah, Bodega Bay is a beautiful place. It's where Alfred Hitchcock filmed the movie The Birds. So watch that first and then go and then get some wine. AI compared Sonoma to Burgundy, France. Why? Well, apparently Burgundy is the spiritual home of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

And like Sonoma, they have small family-run wineries, and they focus on purity in wine making rather than big, bold flavors. In any case, AI recommends Sonoma, and also Burgundy, for relaxed travelers, nature lovers, and anyone who wants a more down-to-earth wine experience.

The third place I have on my list is called Willamette Valley, Oregon, the Pinot Noir paradise. The air is crisp, the forests are deep, and the wine is exceptional. Now, Willamette Valley is famous for its Pinot Noir, which can be described as delicate, earthy, and, well, absolutely delicious. Now, the drive through Willamette Valley feels like a fairy tale.

Once again, you'll have the rolling green hills, which is a very common way to say that one hill comes after the next. It's just a hilly landscape that goes on for a while. So there are rolling hills, misty mornings, and cozy farmhouses turned into wineries.

So like Sonoma, the vibe here is chilled out and welcoming. You'll find boutique tasting rooms where winemakers will tell you stories about the vineyard with their golden retrievers napping at your feet. And since this is Oregon, they have a lot of farm-to-table restaurants.

that serve seasonal dishes to pair well with wine. They're known for having artisanal cheeses or artisan cheeses and truffles. For those of you truffle fans, did you know that truffles grow well in Oregon? The comparable region I found for Willamette Valley in Oregon is Central Otago, New Zealand.

Why? Both Willamette Valley and Central Otago, and I apologize if I'm pronouncing this incorrectly, are cool climate regions and produced some of the best Pinot Noir in the world. They also have laid-back atmospheres, breathtaking landscapes, and a focus on organic and biodynamic winemaking.

So this would be a great way to spend a romantic getaway. And it's especially good for serious Pinot Noir lovers. Number four is one that I've always wanted to visit, but I haven't yet. And that is the Finger Lakes in New York, a hidden gem for white wine lovers. Now, if you are on the East Coast or visiting New York City,

you can just go a little bit more northwest from there and find the Finger Lakes. It's a region that's known for its Rieslings, so crisp and fruity, beautifully balanced white wines. Now, the region itself is beautiful in fall. I've been up there with Amtrak going to Montreal, and it's

It's very pretty. So imagine vineyards in autumn colors, deep blue lakes reflecting the golden leaves, and charming small towns with cute coffee shops and bakeries, and the wineries there have lakefront views so you can sip your glass while overlooking the water.

Now, beyond the wine, Finger Lakes has some fun outdoor activities, hiking in the gorges. You can walk to waterfalls. You can even go on boat tours. So if you like outdoor activities and you want to have some wine on the side or wine is the main activity and some adventure on the side, then head to the Finger Lakes in New York.

And the comparable region, artificial intelligence tells me that Mosel Valley, Germany. Now why? Both regions focus on Riesling. And they take advantage of their cool climates, steep lake or river influenced vineyards,

and that they both have refreshing and incredibly friendly environments. Is that true? I don't know. You guys tell me. I've never been to either of them. Number five, and once again, we have six of these, so we're coming to an end here. We have Texas. Texas Hill Country, Bold Wines, and Southern Charm. Now, I bet you did not think of Texas as a wine hotspot.

Did you? Texas Hill Country, located near Austin, is actually one of the largest and fastest growing wine regions in the U.S. Once again, we have the rolling hills, wildflowers blooming in spring, and rustic wineries with big wooden patios where you can kick back and enjoy a glass of Tempranillo or Syrah.

The weather is hot and dry, making it perfect for bold, full-bodied wines. A wine that is described as bold and full-bodied means that it has a strong presence in both flavor and texture. So full-bodied wines are denser or heavier in the mouth. They might have a higher alcohol content, so maybe 13.5 to 16%.

They typically have more tannins. Perhaps they're aged in oak barrels. It's like comparing whole milk to skim milk. So a full-bodied wine has more weight, just like whole milk has more fat and more weight than skim milk. So bold, once again, is that intense flavor or aroma.

Some wines that are bold, they might have the strong fruit flavor, strong spice flavor, or oak influence, making them powerful and expressive. So yeah, Cabernet Sauvignons are often described as being bold and full-bodied. Syrah, Zinfandel. It's not as common to hear white wines described as bold or full-bodied.

but sometimes you might hear like oaked chardonnay like that or some French ones, which I don't want to pronounce. Moving on. Unlike Napa or Sonoma, the wineries in Texas Hill Country feel more like backyard gatherings. There's often live country music, barbecue food trucks, and long communal tables.

where strangers might share a bottle of wine with you. Yeah, definitely a different wine experience. And the comparable region was La Rioja in Spain. Why?

Both regions thrive in hot, dry climates and produce rich, flavorful, tempranillo-based wines. They also have a love for great food, communal dining, and a vibrant wine culture that embraces both the traditional aspect and the fun aspect. So this would be great for barbecue fans, travelers, people that like to mix wine

wine with country charm. Yes. And for those who are curious, I spent a year in Logroño, which is the capital of La Rioja. I was teaching English in Calahorra, which I still have a hard time saying. But yeah, I taught English at elementary schools there. Imagine what's possible when learning doesn't get in the way of life.

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So number six, Virginia wine country, where history meets wine. Now, I mentioned in the beginning that Virginia has been, well, attempting to make wine since the 1600s. But today, it's starting to get the recognition it deserves because they're making better wine than they were back then.

Now, the wineries in Virginia wine country are also nestled in green rolling hills. There's colonial-style estates and historic buildings, which can kind of make you feel like you've stepped back in time.

But the best part about it is that the wines are incredibly diverse. So you might find Voignier. Ooh, I've never heard of that. That's a floral aromatic white wine. Or Cabernet Franc, a spicy medium-bodied red. You can also visit Jefferson's Old Vineyard at Monticello.

or stop by a family-run winery where the owners just might invite you for a home-cooked meal. So it's a place where there's a lot of history, and there's a lot of hospitality, and the comparable wine region, let's see, Tuscany, Italy. Ooh, this makes me want to visit Virginia, but I have a hard time imagining Virginia being quite as nice as Tuscany.

In any case, AI says that Virginia's warm climate, diverse terrain, and rich history parallel Tuscany's rolling hills, charming wineries, and a mix of elegant reds and aromatic whites. Both regions produce age-worthy wines that pair beautifully with local cuisine.

Very interesting. I think this would be a great place to visit if you are interested in U.S. history. There's a lot of U.S. history in Virginia. And if you are a road tripper, it's a great place to travel through and get that mix of culture and wine. So just to review, we mentioned Napa Valley, the Hollywood of wine.

Then we mentioned Sonoma, the chill, laid-back brother. Then we mentioned Willamette Valley in Oregon, so Pinot Noir paradise. Finger Lakes in New York, so that was for the white wine and the lakeside wineries. Then we had Texas Hill Country to get a bit of

Bold Wine and Southern Charm, and then, of course, Virginia Wine Country. So you get that historical area with a variety of different wines there. Just to mention one last thing real quick. A few years ago, Liz, a guest that I've had a few times on here, invited me to her bachelorette party in the foothills of Santa Barbara.

So there's a place called San Inez, Los Olivos, Solvang. And I have to say, it's such a cute area. It's also very famous for wine. You can spend a great weekend there if you're visiting California. So, I mean, you can go all the way up from that area and go up to Napa.

and Sonoma and drink a lot of wine in different places. So yeah, check it out. Last time we went, we saw Megan. I guess it's no longer Megan Markle. It's Megan Sussex. But yeah, we saw her walking around. So last but not least, I'd like to talk about ordering wine in English. When you go to a winery, you might want to go wine tasting.

You go wine tasting. In other words, you taste test different wines in a tasting room. So when you get there, you might just ask for the red wine flight. That means the variety of reds they offer. Or maybe you want to order directly from the wine list. If that's the case, you could say, could I see the wine list, please?

Or do you have a wine menu? Now, when you're describing your preferences, you can use words like dry, which means not sweet or sweet. That's pretty easy. Tastes like it's got some sugar in it. It's a sweet wine. Once again, you can say full-bodied, which means rich and strong, or light-bodied,

delicate and refreshing. I'm looking for a light-bodied red. What would you suggest? You can describe something as fruity, meaning that it has notes of berries, apple, and citrus, or just notes of berries. Oaky, if it's aged in an oak barrel, it might have a smoky or vanilla flavor.

taste to it. You can describe it as oaky. So oak is a type of tree. The barrels are sometimes made of oak. So you can say, I'd like a dry white wine, something crisp and not too sweet, or maybe you'd prefer a red wine. I prefer a full-bodied red with some spice to it. Any suggestions? Next, we have choosing a type of wine.

If you know what you want, you can just say, I'd like a glass of red wine, please. Or more common, if you're at a winery, you don't want to just order a red wine. I'll have a glass of, and then you can just name the wine. I'd like a glass of Cabernet, please. You can also ask for recommendations. Do you have any dry white wines? I'm in the mood for something sparkling. What do you recommend? So sparkling means it has bubbles.

Or maybe if you're at a restaurant, you might just say, hey, do you have a local wine from this region? If you're at a tasting, could I try a sample of mmm before I order a full glass? When it's time to drink, you can say cheers to good health, to a great evening. And yeah, hopefully you have a great time while you're out tasting wine.

Last but not least, I'd like to end in a joke. Did you hear about the grape that got stepped on? It let out a little whine. Whine, of course, in addition to being the alcoholic drink of fermented grapes, can also be a little cry. It let out a little whine.

Now that wraps up today's episode. Once again, we explored the history of wine, talking about how wine got to the United States. Then we talked about top wine regions in the United States.

I hope you felt like you were visiting some of these places. You also got to hear some of artificial intelligence's comparable wine regions around the world. Then I gave you a few phrases to confidently order wine in English. I think knowing full-bodied, light-bodied, fruity wine

oaky, dry, and sweet will get you pretty far. And yeah, that's it. So have you ever visited a wine region? What's your favorite type of wine? Let me know. You can find me on Instagram at American English Podcast.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. I really appreciate reviews. If you would like the premium content that goes along with this episode, which includes the PDF transcript, the podcast player to work on your pronunciation, a listening comprehension quiz, and flashcards to work on the challenging words and phrases, thank you.

then be sure to sign up to season four. You'll find the link in the episode notes. Until next time, cheers.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the American English Podcast. Remember, it's my goal here to not only help you improve your listening comprehension, but to show you how to speak like someone from the States. If you want to receive the full transcript for this episode, or you just want to support this podcast, make sure to sign up to premium content on AmericanEnglishPodcast.com. Thanks and hope to see you soon.

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