USA

American wine has come a long way since the 1976 Judgement of Paris, when Californian bottles famously beat top Bordeaux and Burgundy in a blind tasting. Today the West Coast is home to everything from celebrated Cabernet estates to small producers working with old vines, cooler sites and a lighter touch.

California is the heart of it. Napa Valley is world-renowned for rich, structured Cabernet Sauvignon, while Sonoma, the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Sta. Rita Hills produce elegant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir shaped by Pacific fog. Look out too for Zinfandel, often from vines over a century old, and characterful Rhône varieties from Paso Robles. Further north, Oregon’s Willamette Valley has earned a reputation for some of the finest Pinot Noir outside Burgundy, alongside crisp Pinot Gris and increasingly serious Chardonnay.

Whether you are after a crowd-pleasing red for Sunday lunch or a bottle to lay down, filter by region, grape or style to find your next favourite.