575 Best Sights in USA

A historically sensitive renovation of its 1874 Redwood Cellar Building transformed the former production facility of the Napa Valley's oldest winery into an epic hospitality center. Charles Krug, a Prussian immigrant, established the winery in 1861 and ran it until his death in 1892. Italian immigrants Cesare Mondavi and his wife, Rosa, purchased Charles Krug in 1943, operating it with their sons Peter Sr. and Robert (who later opened his own winery). Still run by Peter Sr.'s family, Charles Krug specializes in small-lot Yountville and Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons. All visits are by appointment.

A palette of pink, lavender, teal, and gold, a blingy crystal chandelier, and a generous dose of leopard print buoy the atmosphere at the Napa outpost of the Wine Country's oldest winery, established in Sonoma in 1857. To the tune of pop crooners and chanteuses, you can sip sparkling wine by the glass or bottle and Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon by the glass, bottle, or flight. A sparkling experience involves three types of caviar. 

Set amid a bucolic northern Calistoga landscape, this stately winery whose stone building was erected in 1888 helped establish the Napa Valley's reputation for high-quality wine making. At the pivotal Paris tasting of 1976, the Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay took first place, beating out white Burgundies from France and other California Chardonnays, an event immortalized (with liberties taken) in the 2008 movie Bottle Shock. A 21st-century Napa Valley Chardonnay is always part of A Taste of Montelena—current releases that might also include a Riesling, the fine estate Zinfandel, and a Cabernet Sauvignon—or you can opt for the Montelena Estate Collection tasting of Cabernets from several vintages.

Open since 1989, this winery has won honors in national and international competitions, with most wines crafted from two varieties of sweet muscadine grapes: the white Carlos and red Noble. Take a free tour to see how ancient art blends with modern technology. Most of the action takes place during harvest season, from late August through September, when the owners invite visitors to pick and eat some grapes from their on-site preview vineyard (the 50-acre vineyard is about 12 miles north of Defuniak Springs). Wine tastings are held daily throughout the year, and the under-21 set is invited to sample muscadine grape juice.

Modeled after an Italian villa, this stately winery provides both an atmosphere and a level of quality on par with vineyards in more lauded wine regions. Created by NASCAR driver and team owner Richard Childress, the winery offers more than 30 varieties, including its popular Reserve Chardonnay and Signature Meritage. Within its opulent 35,000-square-foot building, visitors can witness wine making firsthand or have lunch at the Bistro, which overlooks the vineyards.

An eco-friendly winery built from straw bales, C&C makes small lots of aromatic Alsatian-style wines such as dry Rieslings and Gewürztraminers, plus Pinot Noir blends, Syrahs, and Chardonnays. The outdoor garden is a prime spot for a bring-your-own picnic when the weather is nice.

Cycling trips through the Italian wine country inspired Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, best known for the Clif energy bar, to establish a Howell Mountain winery and certified organic farm whose bounty they share at two valley-floor spaces. Sessions at the Main Street tasting room center on current releases paired with small bites. A block west at the Enoteca Private Tasting Salon ( 1334 Vidovich Ave.), the culinary team prepares bites for the elevated Cima experience. The estate Cabernet Sauvignons featured at the Enoteca tastings, which include the splendid Pane e Vino lunch, show winemaker Laura Barrett at her most nuanced, but she crafts whites, a Grenache rosé, and reds for all palates.

Searching worldwide in the early 1970s for the best non-European site to grow Cabernet, this French-owned outfit's founding winemaker selected land now called Hirondelle Vineyard. He chose well: Clos du Val (in French, "small vineyard of a small valley") built its reputation on intense Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the Stags Leap District estate. Grapes for a Cabernet Franc and the much-praised Yettalil Bordeaux-style red blend also come from Hirondelle, the French word for "swallow," a bird species prevalent here. Guests sample these wines and others in a glass-fronted vineyard's-edge hospitality center. Hosts retract the windows in good weather, unifying the tasting room and adjoining patio.

Established by the famous (since the 14th century) Italian winemaker Marchesi Antinori and Washington’s oldest winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, this dramatic if somewhat imposing postmodern winery set atop of lofty bluff overlooking the Red Mountain AVA is devoted to big, bold, and quite pricey Cabernet Sauvignons, Malbecs, and other Bordeaux reds produced in the style of Super Tuscans. Estate tours and tastings of these critically adored wines are by reservation only. 

This direct-to-consumer Newberg-area winery produces Pinot Noir along with Chardonnay, and Tempranillo. Take in estate views from the patio of the winery's hilltop tasting room, while you taste wines presented in graduated cylinders, an homage to the previous owner, a particle physicist-turned-winemaker.

The reputation of this winery whose name means "friends" in French rests on its Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Syrahs. Copain occupies an enviable slope in Northern Sonoma County—one that begs guests to sit, sip, and take in the Russian River Valley view—but for years most of its wines derived from grapes grown in hillside vineyards near the coast in Monterey and Mendocino counties. Since the winery's purchase by Jackson Family Wines, fruit from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast has joined the mix.

Appreciated for its sleek, glass-walled tasting room and landscaped courtyard as well as for producing complex, eclectic wines, COR is one of several excellent Lyle wineries. The Cabernet Franc is one of the best in the state, but don't overlook the distinctive Merlot-Malbec and co-fermented Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer blends.

After leading an effort to revive a local winery, Lloyd Davis, an African American financier and oenophile, turned his attention to making the experience of learning about wine and food-wine pairings less daunting. To that end he opened a light-filled space for tastings of Sonoma County wines guests can pair with cheeses or small bites. The lineup includes a brut rosé sparkler, a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc, a rosé of Pinot Noir, and several reds. Corner 103's welcoming atmosphere makes it an excellent choice for wine novices seeking to expand their knowledge.

Inside Yountville's whitewashed 19th-century passenger train depot, Cornerstone shares a space with an apparel shop and displays contemporary art. The winery produces Cabernet Sauvignons from the valley's benchland and mountain sections. Because each Cabernet receives similar treatment from winemaker Kari Auringer, the wines express what's unique about their subappellations, vineyard sources, and vintages. Cornerstone is a good place to find out what type of Napa Valley Cabernet you prefer—perhaps the smooth Benchlands blend, in recent years softened with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, or maybe the sturdier yet still lush Howell Mountain offering, usually 100% Cabernet.

Set in Sunnyside's white-clapboard former rail depot, Côte Bonneville winery has earned cult status among discerning sippers for its expressive wines produced from low-yield grape vines on the steep, rocky, south-facing slopes of nearby DuBrul Vineyard. Drop by this art-filled tasting room to sample the superb Cabernet Franc Rosé or one of the richly textured Bordeaux blends.

Nestled in the Appalachian foothills, Crane Creek features scenic ponds and 200-year-old oak trees. The family-owned and operated winery regularly produces more than 13 regional artisanal wines based on the 11 grape varieties it grows. The most popular choices are Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Norton. The winery has expanded in recent years and now offers tastings in both their new Stone House Tasting Room and at the Farmhouse Market located in a historic farmhouse just down the lane. Live music is regularly offered on the weekends.

Cabernet Sauvignons expressing "power and elegance" and "a deep sense of place" are the main event at this winery jointly owned by businessman Charlie Crocker and founding winemaker Pam Starr. The wine-making team also crafts sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. Crocker & Starr was established in 1997, but James Dowdell, a St. Helena wine pioneer, planted grapes and built a winery and a brandy facility on this land in the late 1800s. Seated tastings, one of current releases, the other exploring the estate reds, take place in an arbor steps from the winery. Appointments are recommended; call ahead for same-day.

On a 200-year-old estate a mile from Washington Crossing Historic Park, this family-run vineyard started with an old barn and expanded to a spacious modern building with rooms overlooking the vineyards and garden. In a 45-minute tasting, the staff lets you know what to expect from 10 different types of wines. Tastings require reservations, but otherwise they aren't needed for the tasting room or wine bar. Look for Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and other varieties, including sweet wines like a popular port-style Chocolate Cherry Truffle. You can order light bites from cheeses to sandwiches. Concerts and public events take place year-round.

Johnson City is now a small but mighty natural wine destination thanks in big part to this mom-and-pop operation in the center of the town. Book an appointment for a tasting with animated winemaker Henry Crowson to experience his unique natural fermentations made without sulfites or filtration. Crowson and his dad craft about 2,000 cases of minimal-intervention wine each year in the adjacent production space, using the best Texas-grown fruit he can find and letting it spontaneously ferment using ambient yeast. Crowson added a restaurant, Picnic’d, serving charcuterie boards of butter, mezze, and meats and cheeses as well as specialty sandwiches and Amy’s Ice Cream.

A hilly patchwork of vines fans out from this Los Carneros winery's contemporary glass-walled tasting room and spacious patio—on a sunny day, Cuvaison (pronounced "coo-vay-SAHN") is among the Napa Valley's most appealing spots to sip wine. The longtime winemaker, Steven Rogstad, describes his cool-climate Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs, and Pinot Noirs as "vineyard driven," but his mastery of technique elevates them further. Some tastings take place at two pond’s-edge open-air pavilions. Call ahead for same-day visits.   Sparkling house Domaine Carneros is across the street.

The visitor center at Darioush is unlike any other in the valley: 16 freestanding, sand-color columns loom in front of a travertine building whose exuberant architecture recalls the ancient Persian capital Persepolis. Exceptional hospitality and well-balanced wines from southern Napa Valley grapes are the winery's hallmarks. The signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and other bottlings combine grapes grown high on Mt. Veeder with valley-floor fruit, the former providing tannins and structure, the latter mellower, savory notes. Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Shiraz, and the Duel Cab-Shiraz blend are among other possible pours here. All visits are by appointment, best made at least a day or two ahead.

One of the Dry Creek Valley's least pretentious wineries, David Coffaro specializes in red blends and single-varietal wines from grapes grown on a 20-acre estate. Zinfandel and Petite Sirah are strong suits, but Coffaro and his team also make wines using Lagrein, Aglianico, and other less-familiar grapes. These also find their way into his unique blends, including the Rhône-style Terre Melange, with Peloursin added to the usual Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre mix.

In 1965 Charles Coury came to Oregon from California and planted some of the Willamette Valley's first Pinot Noir vines on the site of what is now the David Hill Winery. The original farmhouse serves as the tasting room and offers splendid views of the Tualatin Valley. They produce Pinot Noir, some of which comes from the original vines planted by Coury, along with Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Tempranillo, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. The wines are well made and pleasant, especially the eclectic blend called Farmhouse Red and the estate Riesling, and guests can order from a small menu of charcuterie boards and snacks.

Pinot Noir and Rhône-style wines are this winery’s specialties. Owner-winemaker Guy Davis crafts all the Pinots the same way—aiming to let vineyard conditions and the specific clones of Pinot Noir find expression in the bottle—and wine critics routinely praise the results of this humble approach. Other reds include the estate Soul Patch Vineyard Syrah and the Sage blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot. On the lighter side, Davis makes a Chardonnay, a rosé, and the flagship Cuvée Luke blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, and Picpoul. The winery hosts tastings at its industrial-park production facility.

Located on Wadmalaw Island in idyllic countryside 40 minutes from downtown Charleston, Deep Water's 48-acre property grows native muscadine grapes. A tasting of their core wines costs $15 per person, and you leave with a stemless wine glass. Beyond its core wines, the owners also bottle seasonal fruit wines, mead, nonalcoholic juices, and mixers. Wine slushies made on-site cut the heat during the summer. Pair your drink of choice with a picnic from home and relax under the site's canopy of live oaks.

Winemaker Robert Rex of Deerfield produces "clean wines"—low in histamines and sulfites—the better to eliminate the headaches and allergic reactions some red-wine drinkers experience. Rex accomplishes this with no loss of flavor or complexity: his wines are bold and fruit-forward, with a long finish. To sip ones that include several Bordeaux-style reds, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and the White Rex white blend, guests walk deep into a 23,000-square-foot cave for a seated tasting in a relaxed, loungelike space. Reservations are required.

In diminutive Gold Hill, about 15 miles east of Grants Pass, one of the Rogue Valley's most established vineyards stands out as much for its elegant wines as for its setting—the tasting room is inside the former Rock Point Hotel, which dates to 1865. In this grand building or out on the breezy patio, you can sample Del Rio's finest bottles, including an age-worthy Claret Bordeaux-style blend, a heady Rhône-style Syrah, and some of the most appealing rosés in the valley.

Best known for Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs, DeLoach also produces Chardonnays, old-vine Zinfandels, and a few other wines. Grapes for some reds are fermented in open-top wooden vats similar to those used in France for centuries to intensify a wine's flavor. On a self-guided tour of the winery's ½-acre Theater of Nature culinary garden, you can learn the role biodynamic farming plays in creating DeLoach wines.  The Kathleen Thompson Hill Kitchen Memories Collection, worth a look, contains cooking utensils of nostalgic and historical value.