The dating reviews website MyDatingAdviser.com has ranked the best wineries to visit in all 50 states. There are more than 11,000 wineries across the US, which has doubled in the last decade. That is over 2,000 more options than even craft beer alone. There are many opportunities to visit local wineries and enjoy remarkable wines from some of the nation’s most reliable producers. If you’re planning a wine tasting getaway and looking for the best towns to visit in the USA, these wineries are a great place to start. The analysis of over 700 wineries across the USA reveals you can be whatever wine drinker you want. If you prefer a homegrown Bordeaux blend, you can find it. Or maybe you want a sparkling wine that can rival Champagne. The comprehensive list of the best wineries highlights a world-class wine scene that has taken generations of boundary-pushing to reach its excellence. The rank of wineries is according to the quality, popularity, and things to do in the area. Whether you’re looking to plan your next great wine country getaway or simply want to sample something unique next time you’re buying bottles online, these are the wineries to look for. Not surprisingly, California wineries came out on top. It’s no surprise that California wineries made the top of the list, with 16 wineries in the top 100 rankings, as California accounts for 90 percent of American wine production. There are more than 1,200 wineries in the state, ranging from small boutique wineries to large corporations with distribution around the globe. The best winery in California is Judd's Hill Winery and MicroCrush in Napa. Located only minutes from downtown Napa, near the foot of the Silverado Trail, Judd's Hill was given a score of 82.85 in the study. From fermenting grapes in their garage to opening a well-respected vineyard, they have come a long way to become a premium producer of fine wines. Here you can enjoy tastings, wine club, wine and food flavors tasting experiences as well as classes on blending. Interestingly, the study found Tennessee to be a popular state for wine tasting. The top three wineries are in Tennessee: Tennessee Homemade Wines, Sugarland Cellars, and Tennessee Cider Company - all in Gatlinburg. Most of the wineries in the state are located in Middle and East Tennessee. Since Tennessee is in a transition zone they can grow a wide array of grape varieties and make many different types of wines. There is also a fair demand for fruit wines in this state The number one winery to visit is Tennessee Homemade Wines in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This study found that Tennessee Homemade Wines in Gatlinburg, TN is the best winery in the USA, ranking first out of 746 wineries and with an overall score of 90.31 out of a possible 100. This winery is known as Gatlinburg's best local winery and producer of the best sweet wines in Tennessee. They specialize in local flavors like muscadine, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, and peach. New York’s best winery is Three Brothers Wineries and Estates in Geneva. Three Brothers Wineries and States had a total score of 74.21. Here you can find three unique wineries, a microbrewery, and a café all on one estate in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. Washington’s best winery is Chateau Ste. Michelle Vineyards Chateau Ste. Michelle is Washington State's oldest winery, located in Woodinville, Washington, near Seattle - given a total score of 82.47. It produces Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot, and Riesling, and has winemaking partnerships with two vintners: Col Solare is an alliance with Tuscany's Piero Antinori. Courtesy MyDatingAdviser.com Best winery to visit in all 50 states: Alabama, Jules J. Berta Vineyards & Pizza (Albertville)Alaska, Bear Creek Winery (Homer)Arizona, Arizona Stronghold Vineyards Tasting Room (Cottonwood)Arkansas, The Winery Of Hot Springs (Hot Springs)California, Judd's Hill Winery And MicroCrush (Napa)Colorado, Balistreri Vineyards (Denver)Connecticut, Jones Family Farm (Shelton)Delaware, Salted Vines Vineyard & Winery (Frankford)Florida, Panama City Beach Winery (Panama City Beach)Georgia, Crane Creek Vineyards (Young Harris)Hawaii, MauiWine (Kula)Idaho, Telaya Wine Co. (Garden City)Illinois, Lynfred Winery (Roselle)Indiana, Urban Vines Winery & Brewery Co. (Westfield)Iowa, Stone Cliff Winery (Dubuque)Kansas, Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery (Basehor)Kentucky, Purple Toad Winery (Paducah)Louisiana, NOLA Tropical Winery (New Orleans)Maine, Cellardoor Winery (Lincolnville)Maryland, Linganore Winecellars (Mt Airy)Massachusetts, Plymouth Bay Winery (Plymouth)Michigan, Fenn Valley Vineyards (Fennville)Minnesota, Carlos Creek Winery (Alexandria)Mississippi, Old South Winery (Natchez)Missouri, Pirtle Winery (Weston)Montana, Yellowstone Cellars & Winery (Billings)Nebraska, Cellar 426 Winery (Ashland)Nevada, Pahrump Valley Winery (Pahrump)New Hampshire, Seven Birches Winery (Lincoln)New Jersey, Cape May Winery & Vineyard (Cape May)New Mexico, Casa Rondena Winery (Albuquerque)New York, Three Brothers Wineries And Estates (Geneva)North Carolina, Biltmore Winery At Antler Hill Village (Asheville)North Dakota, Prairie Rose Meadery (Fargo)Ohio, Gervasi Vineyard (Canton)Oklahoma, Girls Gone Wine (Broken Bow)Oregon, Willamette Valley Vineyards Tasting Room In McMinnville (McMinnville)Pennsylvania, Mount Hope Estate & Winery (Manheim)Rhode Island, Newport Vineyards (Middletown)South Carolina, Duplin Winery (North Myrtle Beach)South Dakota, Prairie Berry Winery (Hill City)Tennessee, Tennessee Homemade Wines (Gatlinburg)Texas, Messina Hof Winery (Bryan)Utah, IG Winery (Cedar City)Vermont, Snow Farm Vineyard And Winery (South Hero)Virginia, Williamsburg Winery (Williamsburg)Washington, Chateau Ste. Michelle Vineyards (Woodinville)West Virginia, Lambert's Vintage Wines (Weston)Wisconsin, Cedar Creek Winery (Cedarburg)Wyoming, Big Lost Meadery And Brewery (Gillette) Here are a few tips for your next wine tasting: 1. Sight. Look down into the glass and hold the glass to the light. Tilt your wine, and roll towards the edges. The depth of color indicates the density and saturation of the wine. For example, a deep-saturated purple-black color might be Syrah or Zinfandel, while a lighter, pale brick shade would suggest Pinot Noir.Swirl your glass to look for “legs” or “tears” running down the side of the glass. Wines with good legs are wines with more alcohol and glycerin content, indicating they are more extensive, riper, mouth-filling, and dense.2. Smell. If there are no obvious off-aromas, look for fruit aromas. Wine is from grapes, and it should smell fresh. You can learn to look for specific fruits and grapes, and many grapes will show a spectrum of fruit scents.3. Taste. Take a sip, not a large swallow of wine in your mouth, and try sucking on it as if pulling it through a straw. You should encounter a wide range of fruit, flower, herb, mineral, barrels, and other flavors. Use your taste buds to help determine if the wine is balanced, harmonious, and complex. Information about the most famous wine varieties: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Burgundy are the most famous wine varieties across the nation.Chardonnay is the most planted variety, with 106,000 acres (43,000 hectares). However, it’s not a very popular grape and has declined in the past ten years.Another favorite, Cabernet Sauvignon, is in second place, with 101,300 acres (41,000 hectares). Plantings of Cabernet are stable and growing.The Burgundy grape Pinot Noir has seen a surge in growth and is now in third place with 61,800 acres (25,000 hectares). It’s the emblematic grape in Oregon, and the state is more or less synonymous with Pinot Noir. It also accounts for 60% of Oregon vineyards. Methodology To determine the best wineries across America, MyDatingAdviser.com compared over 700 of the best wineries on TripAdvisor. They then ranked the top wineries across the USA. This study took the winery quality, popularity, and things to do into account. The analysis was across six key metrics of winery perfection: 1) TripAdvisor rating, 2) Google reviews rating, 3) Number of TripAdvisor reviews, 4) Number of Google reviews, 5) Number of restaurants within 3 miles, and 6) Number of attractions within 6 miles. Each winery has a ‘Winery Index Score.’ This value represents the quality of the winery experience that you can have there. MyDatingAdviser.com is a US dating website committed to offering singles advice and reviews. Amy Pritchett started her website in March 2019 and has a passion for providing people love and relationship advice. Sources: California, Washington, and New York Wine production (America Wines Paper).Tips for wine tasting (WineMag.com)Most popular wine grapes in America (Forbes)
It began as a harmless, ‘what-if’ conversation with my then-husband (fondly referred to as my ‘wasband’ these days), about putting on a festival on a ranch overlooking the ocean. We’d already been producing a very small art and wine festival in a quaint rural community on the Russian River, in Sonoma County California, and had been approached by a local landowner wanting a festival on his property. The ranch owner had offered his land and this opportunity to us at a time in our lives when we were least prepared to accept it. Both of us were craftspeople: Michael was (is) a photographer and I made hand dyed and printed women’s clothing. We both traveled to various places in the country to do art shows, and we're in the final stages of leaving our Sebastopol home to rent a house in Key Largo, Florida for the winter months. We’d each booked nine festivals back there, as there were none during this season close to home. We visited the ranch, we're intrigued by the possibilities, but unsure how we could put on a new festival when we’d be on the East Coast until April, but we gave him a tentative yes. When we hit the road we looked like something out of Grapes of Wrath, Michael’s van towing mine, each loaded to near-explosion with everything we’d need for three months away from home. The endless miles between us and southern Florida opened up a world of conversations. Festival creators Michael and Janet - Courtesy of Janet Ciel “What if we did a seafood festival?” Michael was flipping through a publication called Sunshine Artists, which had hundreds of festivals, fairs, art shows listed, all in the Gulf States. I was driving, or trying to. Towing something this back-heavy meant the front of the van barely touched the ground, making steering this monstrosity akin to maneuvering a bumper car. “I mean, the ranch overlooks the ocean, and there are a ton of seafood festivals in Florida, but there’s nothing quite like this in our area.” I had to admit, it did sound like a good idea. And so it began. Being in Florida we got to see firsthand how some of these events were set up, and found most to be carnival-like. Since our world revolved around artists, we determined this would have to be a high quality event, to draw fine art and craft-vendors and an appreciative crowd, even if it was on a dusty horse ranch. From our little condo in Key Largo we sent solicitations out to all the artists and craftspeople we knew. We reached out to food vendors, wineries, tenting companies, graphics people, and more. By the time we returned in mid-April we found ourselves deep into full-blown festival production, and by the end of August of 1993 the first Bodega BAY Seafood, Art and Wine Festival opened its gates. We had almost eighty artists, several dozen wineries participating in a tasting, a dozen food vendors, including a couple of local seafood restaurants, and excellent entertainment. Courtesy of Bodega Seafood, Art and Wine Festival For ten years we held the event every August on the ranch, located just north of the village of Bodega Bay on Highway 1, a scant two hours from San Francisco and other Bay Area locales. It had horse rental facilities, a bed and breakfast, and ample space for the 7000+ attendees. At times the location was a spectacular asset, when the skies were clear and the views picture-postcard worthy, but more often than not the site was enshrouded in thick fog or had fierce winds, which destroyed artists’ tents and merchandise. Because it was a horse ranch there was a constant pile of horse manure in the parking lot, and an accompanying stench that, though some might have considered charming and rural, vendors and the health department were not so fondly inclined. You might note the word BAY is capitalized in a previous paragraph, and wonder why. It’s because the festival is no longer located in Bodega BAY, but rather in the village of Bodega. Year eleven we were fortunate to find a beautiful ranch inland from our previous location. On Highway 12, or Bodega Highway, Watts Ranch sits across the road from the famous schoolhouse featured in the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Birds, in the teeny village of Bodega, one mile inland and four miles south of our previous site. With a large willow bank to the west blocking the wind, no horses or cows, and generally warmer and more pleasant conditions, the new home for the festival has continued to be the perfect spot for this wonderful event. Yes, Michael is now my ‘wasband,’ but we still produce the festival together. This is year twenty-six for us, and you’ll find similarities to the very first years, but lots of growth as well. Besides attendance having increased over the years we now have more than a hundred fine artists and craftspeople filling the aisles, along with fifteen+ food vendors, featuring all types of food, with an emphasis on seafood. Crabcakes, oysters, calamari, fish tacos, shrimp Louie, and dozens of other dishes are available, along with lots of chicken, meat and vegetarian options and bevy of desserts. Courtesy of Bodega Seafood, Art and Wine Festival/ Margot Duane The Wine, Microbrew and Cider Tasting is a very popular part of the festival, featuring 50+ companies. Customers buy a commemorative glass and 6 tastes (1/3 of a glass). They can buy additional taste tickets for $3 each. They can also buy wine and beer by the bottle/6pack to take home, or beer and wine by the glass, which is available at the Beer/Wine Booth. For those who love to go wine tasting, imagine being able to taste dozens of wines and beers in one location. Three stages of entertainment keep the energy high throughout the weekend. Two stages feature blues, jazz, Latin, Cajun Zydeco, and other excellent music, and the third stage has comedy, magic, juggling and more. We have a large dance floor at the main stage, which is generally filled with joyful dancers. We love families and have wonderful kids’ activities, including interactive exhibits set up by our beneficiary, Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, the non-profit working in conjunction with the California State Parks in the Russian River region. The festival also benefits the Bodega Volunteer Fire Department, and ours is an event that welcomes (and gives discounts to) firefighters and first responders. Our area has seen its share of fire in recent years, and we’re forever grateful to the men and women who put their safety on the line to protect ours. We’re a scant few miles from the ocean, so the festival is a perfect add-on to a beach adventure. We’re also a ways down the coast from the Russian River, another popular day outing which works nicely paired with a few hours of eating, drinking, dancing and shopping. So Hold Onto Your Halibut! Bodega Seafood, Art & Wine Festival is August 27th and 28th from 10am-6pm on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. Watts Ranch is at 16855 Bodega Highway, in Bodega California 94922. More information can be found at www.bodegaseafoodfestival.com. Don’t miss it!