The Daily Meal Uncorks the 101 Best Wineries in America in 2015

NEW YORK – July 23, 2015 – The Daily Meal, the world’s largest food and drink lifestyle site, just unveiled its annual list of the 101 Best Wineries in America. As was the case for last year’s 101 Best, The Daily Meal found that great wines are being made not just in California and the Pacific Northwest but all over the country.

“Identifying the best wineries in America was an extremely challenging mission,” said Colman Andrews, The Daily Meal’s editorial director. “The sheer quantity and variety of great wine being made in this country today has grown exponentially in the past two or three decades. This ranking isn’t a beauty contest, giving points for attractive settings or handsome architecture, or a guide to fine winery dining. While some of the places listed do indeed offer visual or gustatory attractions — we’re concerned with what gets put into the bottle, and poured into our glass.”

The wineries on the list were nominated by experts in the field — sommeliers, wine writers, chefs, and restaurateurs, along with wine-savvy editors at The Daily Meal. Experts include John Tilson of The Underground Wine Letter; wine writer and wine bar proprietor Keith Beavers; chef-restaurateur Daniel Boulud and Daniel Johannes, corporate wine director for Boulud’s Dinex Group; chef-restaurateur and The Daily Meal contributor Norman Van Aken; and Cathy Mantuano, wine director at the Art Institute of Chicago’s Terzo Piano.

Roughly two-thirds of the wineries listed were based in California, which is by far the largest producing state and still boasts the largest number of great wineries. The Pacific Northwest is well-represented as well, and wineries from New York (both the Finger Lakes and Long Island), Virginia, Texas, Maryland, Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are among the top 101.

The team at The Daily Meal encourages readers to provide feedback on the following list. Did your favorite American winery make the cut? You can let The Daily Meal know which winery on the list is your favorite — or if we missed one that you love — by tweeting @TheDailyMeal using the hashtag #101bestwineries.

For those Texas wine lovers who are interested, Inwood Estates Vineyards located in three locations in Texas came in at number 75 and McPherson Cellars in Lubbock came in at number 83.

More details about the 101 Best Wineries in America is available at http://www.thedailymeal.com/america-s-101-best-wineries.