6 States We Did Not Expect To Have Wine Regions

American vineyards have long held the attention of wine aficionados around the world. The country produces over 800 million gallons of wine per year, with California by far leading the charge at around 680 million gallons. We even have wineries that are recognized as some of the best in the world. Regions like Napa and Sonoma in California, and Willamette Valley in Oregon produce exceptional wines and each has hundreds of vineyards nestled in beautiful landscapes to visit. If you love Pinot Noir a trip to Oregon's Willamette Valley should be at the top of your vacation plans.

All 50 states have wineries making wine in the state, many using grapes shipped from bigger grape growing regions, but did you know 34 states have American Viticulture Areas, the official term for wine growing regions? We looked through all 34 states, and these are the ones that surprised us the most.

Minnesota is known more for extreme cold, so how does it have a wine region, much less two? Thankfully, the University of Minnesota has helped with the growth of wine making in the state by creating many different frost-hardy varieties of grape. One of these varieties of grape is Marquette, a hybrid red made to withstand the cold. It produces a complex red wine with cherry and black current flavor profiles often noted.  

Alexandria Lakes, between St. Cloud and Fargo, in Douglas County, was the first wine region in Minnesota. The area has some of the deepest lakes in the state, which helps to moderate the temperature. Wineries in the region include Carlos Creek Winery, which hosts a grape stomping festival and has Minnesota themed wines like You Betcha' Blush, and Hot Dish Red. (In case you're wondering what a Minnesota Hot Dish is you can find out here.)

Down in the Southeastern side of the state is the Upper Mississippi Valley, home of Minnesota's first winery, Alexis Bailly Vineyard. The region covers 30,000 square miles and expands into Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. This region is not only the largest American Viticultural Area in North America, but it's the largest designated wine-producing region in the world.

While Iowa is roughly as far north as Southern France's famous wine growing region, its placement in the middle of the continent gives it a more extreme and unpredictable climate. Freezing cold winters and hot, humid summers don't sound like the perfect conditions for wine, but pre-prohibition Iowa was one of the U.S.'s top wine producers. Most of the vineyards are tucked away on the edges of the state, in the Upper Mississippi Valley and Loess Hills regions. These are areas where the undulating landscape provides a little more shelter from the elements. Cold-resistant hybrids like Maréchal Foch are the stars here. The grape produces deep red wines with jammy fruit and earthy flavors.

In a state known more for corn, wineries started making a comeback well after Prohibition when Ackerman Winery opened up in 1956. Since then the wine scene has blossomed. Living up to its name, Wide River Winery has three locations along the Mississippi River. Their vineyard and tasting room in the countryside includes a deck where you can sip wine while watching the river flow by. If you are out East, you can stop in at Tucker Hill Vineyards. Located in the Loess Hills region, it's not far from a little known town that just so happens to be the ice cream capital of the world, Le Mars. Wine then ice cream or ice cream then wine, we leave the order of operations up to you.

The Cherry State shockingly has five official wine growing regions: Leelanau Peninsula, Old Mission Peninsula, Tip of the Mitt, Lake Michigan Shore, and Fennville. Because of its cold climate, Michigan is one of the few U.S. states perfect for making ice wine. Germany and Canada are the world's leaders in the specialty wine made from grapes frozen on the vine, but you can find American made ice wines from both Michigan and New York. Refreshingly acidic Riesling grapes are grown closer to the temperate lake regions, while cold-resistant varieties, like Vidal, a common grape used in ice wine, are grown further inland. 

Michigan is about more than just ice wine, as the state has been growing grapes since 1780. Wineries like Domaine Berrien Cellars, located in the middle of the Lake Michigan Shore region, and Blustone Vineyards in the Leelanau Peninsula region have won multiple awards at competitions like the 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The Tip of the Mitt region, fittingly located at the Northern tip of Michigan, is the youngest wine region in the state, having been recognized in 2016. Here you can largely find Riesling and Chardonnay along the 14-winery-long Petoskey Wine Trail.

While the New Mexico Wine Growers Association was started in 1991, the region first started making wine way back in 1629 and can be seen as where wine making in the U.S. first began. Spanish missionaries grew grapes and made wine for their religious ceremonies in what is now the Middle Rio Grande Valley American Viticultural Area.

There are about 40 different wineries in the state, most of them in the Middle Rio Grande and the Mesilla Valley which is also along the Rio Grande River. While the regions are dry, the Rio Grande helps keep temperatures cool. The third region, the Mimbres Valley, is the largest in area, but the hot and dry summers coupled with the cold winter and the high altitude make it a tough place to operate. However, the terroir of the region has been compared to the Mendoza region in Argentina, meaning the Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah it produces have a strong, local following that drinks it up before it can make it out of state. New Mexico is already a great place for a food tour, why not add some stops for wine?

The Rocky Mountain State is not a place we expect to find wineries, but it in fact has some of the highest wine regions in the world with areas reaching 7,000 feet in altitude. Both wine regions, Grand Valley and West Elks, are on the western side of the state. The soil there is dry and sandy, and the low rainfall means the vines rely on irrigation to get watered.

Bookcliff Vineyards, at the edge of the Grand Valley region in Palisade, a town famous for its delicious peaches, has won medals at a slew of wine competitions around the U.S. A little further East in the West Elks region you can find vineyards even higher in the mountains. Wineries like Stoney Mesa and La Noue DuBois operate in a region that's around 6,400 feet high. The intense sunlight at that altitude combined with the cold nights results in wines with strong colors and scents. This is a land of intense white wines like Riesling and Chardonnay, and vibrantly colored reds like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.

When we think of Arizona the first image that comes to mind is a lonely cactus in the desert. Arizona is more famous for prickly pears than grapes. Go ahead and picture a grapevine as well because there are three wine regions in the state. The state's hot and dry climate means there is a shorter growing season. This short season tends to create sweeter and less acidic wines. Grapes like Tannat, often used in blends, fair well in the hotter temperatures of Arizona.

Down near the border with Mexico, the Sonoita region is high at 4,000 to 5,000 feet and is one of the first American Viticultural Area, forming in 1984. It has a longer growing season than most of Arizona due to its altitude keeping it from getting too hot. It's home to Callaghan Vineyards, whose wines have been served at the White House four times, and has won multiple prestigious awards. It's newest region, Verde Valley, up in the mountains near Prescott, is home to Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards, owned by the frontman to heavy metal band, Tool, Maynard James Keenan. Feel free to rock out while sipping your award winning wines!