Best Wine Counties Outside California

When you think of wine counties, it’s easy for California to come to mind. While we love Napa and Sonoma, wine lovers may be surprised to know the regions of Oregon, Washington State, Texas or Arizona are some of the other best wine areas in the U.S.

A recent article by LawnStarter shows the best wine counties outside California — and depending on where you live, some wineries may be closer to home!

To help rank the best wine counties across the United States, LawnStarter compared more than 1,048 counties across 18 key relevant metrics, including:

  • Visitor accommodations (hotels, motels, and inns in the area)
  • Number of winery tours
  • Number of wine producers
  • Tasting options
  • Number of vineyards
  • Number of award-winning wines
  • Great reviews

 

Highlights:

Northwest is Best

Washington and Oregon dominate this list with two Washington counties and four Oregon counties in the top 10.

The South’s Wine Belt

Arizona in the west has two counties in our top 20, Florida in the east has one county in those lofty ranks, and Texas is the buckle in this wine belt with three counties in the top 20.

Wine and Roses… and Other Attractions

Some counties rank high because the attractions are as inviting as the wine. For example, you can sign up for at least 33 wine tours in Buncombe County, North County.

Click here to see the Top 50 list!

 

California was excluded from this list because the Golden State is almost synonymous with wine-making. Photo and article credit: LawnStarter.com