California

California wine is wine made in the U.S. State of California.

Nearly 3/4 the size of France, California  accounts for nearly 90% of entire American wine production. The production in California alone is 1/3 larger than that of Australia;  if California were a separate country, it would be the world's 4th largest wine producer.

The  state's viticultural history dates back to the 18th century when Spanish missionaries planted the  first vineyards to produce wine for Mass. Following a wine renaissance in the mid-20th century, Californian wine entered the international stage at the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine  competition when Californian wines beat out French wines in both red and white wine categories.

Today there are over 107 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), including the well-known Napa Valley, Russian River Valley, Rutherford Valley and Sonoma Valley AVAs, and more than 1,200 wineries  in the state, ranging from small boutique wineries to large corporations like E&J Gallo with distribution across  the globe.