575 Best Sights in USA

A remodeled 1895 schoolhouse serving estate-grown wines, this picturesque winery is worth a visit for the scenery and its award-winning Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine varietals (the winery belongs to the Puget Sound AVA, the coolest-climate growing region in Washington). The vineyard's wines show up on many local menus.

More than 20 winery tasting rooms in 5 Santa Barbara neighborhoods form the Urban Wine Trail. Most are within walking distance of the waterfront and the lower State Street shopping and restaurant district. Santa Barbara Winery ( 28 Anacapa Street), The Valley Project ( 116 East Yanonali Street), and Grassini Family Vineyards ( 24 El Paseo) are good places to start your oenological trek.

Homestead's tropical bounty is transformed into wine at this flourishing enterprise that started producing wines with lychee, mango, guava, and other local fruits as a way to eliminate waste from family groves each year. Over the course of a few decades, the winery expanded to include a tasting room, a full-service restaurant, and a lush plaza picnic area landscaped in coral rock, tropical plants, and waterfalls. It's also home to popular beer brand Miami Brewing Company.

As a lad in Germany, the late Walter Schug made Pinot Noir, inspiring a lifelong preoccupation with the Burgundian grape. The founding winemaker at the Napa Valley’s Joseph Phelps Vineyards, in the 1980s he established his namesake winery in the far western reaches of Los Carneros AVA. His children continue his legacy, producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux-style wines. There's also a wine from the St. Laurent grape, an offspring of Pinot. Sample current releases in the courtyard with a vineyard view, or book a private cave tour with a brief property walk and tastes of single-vineyard wines.

Winemaker Scott Harvey describes the Sierra Foothills appellation as similar to Italy's Piemonte region, where Barbera originated, but with one additional benefit: it's sunnier here, which this grape loves. Barbera, Zinfandel (one from vines planted in 1869), and Syrah are his winery's focus, but you'll also find Cabernet Sauvignon and other reds along with Sauvignon Blanc, a rosé of Barbera, and sparkling wine.

After working nearly a decade at Italian Swiss Colony, then among California's largest wine producers, Edoardo Seghesio purchased land in 1895 and planted some of the Alexander Valley's earliest Zinfandel vines. Fruit from them goes into his namesake winery's highly rated Home Ranch Zinfandel, one of several Zins made here. Wines from Italian grapes are another emphasis, most notably Venom, from what Seghesio bills as North America's oldest Sangiovese vineyard. The Vermentino and Barbera are exceptional, too. Some tastings take place on the broad lawn and patio fronting the property.

Estate Pinot Noir and sparkling and still Pinot rosés are the flagship wines of this Humboldt County producer, which also makes whites and reds from several other Northern California appellations and Oregon's Willamette Valley. The downtown tasting room—exposed beams, white walls, polished concrete floor—and its spacious gravel outdoor patio areas are highly social and family-friendly. 

This spacious, beautifully designed winery inside RiverWalk resort serves its well-respected classic European-varietal dry wines and sweeter fruit wines. Just down the hall at Rhythm Tap & Grille, you can sample ciders produced by the winery's Rhythm Cider brand along with tasty gastropub fare.

Owner Casey McClellan makes well-balanced Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, and other reds, as well as Sauvignon Blanc and a dry Rosé. The winery is in Walla Walla's historic Whitehouse-Crawford building and tastings are by reservation only.

Sourcing his grapes from vineyards throughout the state, South Valley vintner Sean Sheehan welcomes serious local fans and visitors from afar to his Old Town tasting room—an inviting destination for those seeking the best in “old vine” wines in a convivial but intimate space. Lighter, brighter, and spicier components bring a special experience to tastings of the award-winning and notable favorites like a Cinsault Dry Rose and Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve or the Riesling-based Cielo Dulce. A popular presence at festivals throughout the year, Sheehan Winery tastings here in Old Town might feature cheese board and charcuterie pairings (or you may bring your own), or simply focus on a delicious seasonal rotation of the finest reds and whites.

From U.S. 7, you'll see rows and rows of organically grown vines. Visit the attractive tasting room and learn how wine is made, relax on the lawn during a weekly Friday Bluegrass & BBQ event in the summer, or take in jazz or comedy in the winery during the colder months. Also available on-site are natural wines from IAPETUS, an experimental label from winemaker Ethan Joseph, and spectacular ciders from Vermont-based Eden Ciders, which merged with Shelburne Vineyard in 2023.

Stop by this tasting room inside a high-ceilinged former theater in Snoqualmie's Old Town to sample a selection of exceptional wines, most of them made with Bordeaux and Rhône varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from top vineyards around throughout the Columbia Valley. Appetizers, including cheese and meat boards, are available, and there's live music most Friday and Saturday evenings. Sigillo has a second tasting room in Chelan.

Set on a hilltop just outside of Leavenworth, with gorgeous views over the valley, this winery is a must-stop for wine lovers. There's a tasting room where you can sample wine and learn more about the award-winning wines that Silvara makes with grapes sourced from more than a dozen Washington state vineyards. Outside there's an expansive patio with tables and firepits for socializing over wine, cheese, and other light bites. For an especially unique experience, reserve one of the clear dome "igloos" for your group.

This historic estate on the 1,200-foot southern slopes of the Rattlesnake Hills often some of the best valley views in Zillah. With both a large deck and well-manicured lawn with a soothing fountain, the winery stands out for its Cabernet Sauvignon, sweet and dry Rieslings, Roza red blend, and Chardonnay.

The first review of this winery’s debut 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon declared the wine not all that good and overpriced at $6 a bottle. Oops. The now-celebrated Bordeaux-style blend, still the only Napa Valley Cab bearing the winery's label each year, evolved into a cult favorite, and founders Ray Duncan and Justin Meyer received worldwide recognition for aging their wines exclusively in American oak barrels. Tastings take place in a hospitality center constructed of reclaimed stone and other materials from a 19th-century flour mill. At-the-bar pours for walk-ins include the current Napa Valley Cabernet and its Alexander Valley counterpart, made at Silver Oak's Sonoma County facility. You’ll need a reservation for elevated sessions involving library wines or food pairings.

The splurge at Silver Trident is on the decor: this tasteful downtown space doubles as a Ralph Lauren Home Collection showroom where everything’s for sale. It’s a fittingly ritzy setting for subtly delicious Sauvignon Blanc, rosé, Pinot Noir (winemaker Kari Auringer's strong suit), and Bordeaux-style reds (also quite good). You can taste current releases without food, though most guests opt for a pairing with gourmet potato chips or Detroit-style pizzas. Visits are by appointment. Walk-ins are often possible.

Located just south of downtown Fredericksburg, this collaborative concept evolved from a family-operated boutique winery called 1851 Vineyards before restructuring as Slate Mill Collective. The collective expanded the vineyard, winery, and tasting room to include 35 planted acres and a state-of-the-art wine-making facility. It’s also a great place for visitors to come for a production tour (with plenty of samples along the way) to learn more about the Texas wine industry. Afterward, head to the tasting room to enjoy labels from multiple local producers, like Wine for the People, Tatum Cellars, and C.L. Butaud.

Vermont's first vineyard was started here in 1996; today, the winery specializes in nontraditional botanical hybrid grapes designed to take advantage of the island's microclimate, similar to that of Burgundy, France. Take a self-guided tour and sip some samples in the tasting room—dessert wines are the strong suit. On Thursday evening, June–September, you can picnic and enjoy the free concerts on the lawn.

You can sip fruity, robust Zinfandels—old vine and new—and learn about wine making and Shenandoah Valley pioneer life at the museum here. This winery was established in 1856 and has been run since 1989 by the owners of nearby Shenandoah Vineyards, which is open daily. To sample the best Zins, pay the modest fee for the reserve tasting.

Stellar fruit sources and a winemaker with a light touch have earned Sojourn Cellars high ratings from critics for its Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Cabernet Sauvignons. Founded in 2001, the winery started out producing Cabernet and still makes several from the Napa Valley and Sonoma County, but the well-balanced Sonoma Coast, Petaluma Gap, and Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs capture much of the attention. Comparative tastings at a bungalow just east of Sonoma Plaza explore the subtle variations in the wines caused by climate, terrain, and clone type depending on the grape sources.

This vineyard, known for its high-quality reds, was the first commercial vineyard in Arizona, planted in the early 1970s as an experiment by Dr. Gordon Dutt, former agriculture professor at the University of Arizona. It's still going strong with Gordon's granddaughter, Lori, at the helm.

It's tough to resist stopping for at least a glass at this winery’s bluff-top tasting room or adjacent patio—the Pacific views practically demand it. The Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and a Sauvignon Blanc stand out among the small-lot cool-climate wines, some from grapes grown less than 5 miles from the ocean.

After an ill-fated attempt to make chocolate wine, founder Bill Reading’s notion of adding dark-chocolate essences to Port became Deco Port, the first hit of this small winery on downtown’s southern edge. Reading followed up Deco by adding hazelnut essences to what's now called Duet Sherry. Individual Ports made from Chardonnay, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Tempranillo rosé, and Zinfandel are among the other crowd-pleasing wines you can taste in the warehouselike space where some are made and all are aged.

One of the only local wineries to produce their wine on-site, South Coast is all about the experience, with tastings and tours (by reservation) that end with a wine-cheese pairing with a "wine tree" of five blends. The wine list features estate-grown and -made Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Black Jack Port. The award-winning Group Therapy has spicy notes of Grenache, the earthy character of Zinfandel, and the acidity of Sangiovese. Be sure to try their bourbon-barrel wine. The winery also operates a hotel, spa, and restaurant.

Winemaker Elaine St. Clair and wine-business executive Laina Brown founded this "urban winery" and nanobrewery a few blocks north of downtown. Most tastings unfold across the street from the dual production facility in a colorful culinary garden. St. Clair produces crisp yet complex whites and balanced layered reds, among them Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. Making beer wasn't an afterthought for St. Clair, the first woman in the United States to earn a degree in both wine making and brewing. A few of her award-winning beers are always on tap. You can sample them, the wines, or zero-proof cocktails solo or with addictive appetizers.

Nestled at the foot of Mt. Hood, St. Francis has earned national acclaim for its pairings of wines and small bites. With its bell tower, red-tile roof, and views of the Mayacamas Mountains to the east, the winery's California Mission–style visitor center occupies one of Sonoma County's most scenic locations. The charm of the surroundings is matched by the wines, among them Cabernet Sauvignons and rich earthy Zinfandels. The five-course pairings might include Chardonnay with lobster bisque or Cabernet Sauvignon with wine-braised beef ribs.

The French fashion company Chanel owns this winery whose Rutherford vineyards surround its hospitality center and production facility. St. Supéry makes two widely distributed wines, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon, but most tastings revolve around limited-production efforts from the Rutherford site and the 1,500-acre Dollarhide Ranch on Howell Mountain. Hosts tailor sessions to guests' preferences, pouring, for instance, all whites or reds. One of the latter tastings explores valley-floor and mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Among the specialized experiences at this enthusiastic proponent of wine education is Aromatherapy with a Corkscrew, which involves blind sniffing and tasting to learn how to identify citrus, tropical, and other aromas in wines.

A 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon put this winery and the Napa Valley on the enological map by placing first in the famous Judgment of Paris tasting of 1976. The grapes for that wine came from a vineyard visible from the stone-and-glass Fay Outlook & Visitor Center, which has broad views of a second fabled Cabernet vineyard (Fay) and the promontory that gives both the winery and the Stags Leap District AVA their names. Cabernets from these vineyards are poured at appointment-only tastings (call ahead for same-day visits).  When the weather's right, two patios with the same views as the tasting room fill up quickly.

A must for history buffs, this winery at the base of the Stags Leap Palisades dates to 1893. Three years earlier, its original owners erected the Manor House, noteworthy for its castlelike stone facade, redwood-paneled interior, and open-air porch that seems out of a flapper-era movie set. Some tastings take place on the porch, others inside. Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the calling cards, along with the Ne Cede Malis Petite Sirah, from vines planted in 1929. The winery also makes Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier,  Malbec, and Merlot. Visits are strictly by appointment.

With dramatic views and a lovely setting beside Hood River Lavender, this lodge-style tasting room is a wonderful locale for sampling Stave & Stone's expressive vinos. The dry, strawberry-inflected Pinot Noir Rosé and zesty Pinot Gris have each garnered plenty of awards, but the reds are terrific, too. If you can't make it to the vineyard, there's a cute tasting room in downtown Hood River, too.