About Mead from USA

About Mead from USA
The United States is one of the most important players in the wine industry. On sheer numbers alone, the US is the fourth largest country in terms of total production; but it is the outstanding quality of wines from the US that is an additional part of its worldwide prestige. While the first wines produced in the colonies date back to the late 18th century, it has only been since the mid-1960s that the US has entered the premium wine market on a large scale. California, especially Napa Valley and Sonoma County were the areas that drove the new quality movement. Other areas in California also were home to great wines; soon Washington and Oregon were home to first-class wines as well. New York State, especially the Finger Lakes are was rediscovered for its Rieslings and soon wineries started opening in states such as Texas, Virginia and North Carolina. Today, 90% of domestic premium wine is produced in California and there are several wine types that share the spotlight; these include Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, Pinot Noir from Sonoma's Russian River Valley as well as Santa Barbara County and Chardonnay from several regions, such as Monterey and Sonoma County. Bordeaux-styles reds from Washington State have received great acclaim as have Oregon Pinot Noirs. Today, the United States is in an enviable position of being one of the largest producers of wine as well as one of the most celebrated.

Top Picks for USA

Mead

Helderberg Meadworks NV Heritage Mead Upper Hudson
93 points
$30
This is wildly complex and almost impossible to stop sipping once you start, this raw honey, oak aged mead is a fascinating flavor journey that has the perfect complexity to appease the aficionado with the sweet appeal for the every person imbiber — dangerously drinkable.
Olde Merl’s 2026 Craft Mead
92 points
$20
Best Buy
Be the star at your next cocktail or dinner party and serve this with goat, blue, aged cheddar and washed rind cheeses — a royal pairing to be remembered.
92 points $20 Best Buy
Helderberg Meadworks NV Blackbraid Mead Upper Hudson
85 points
$35
A wild, off-dry ride with multiple Renaissance-ish medicinal notes.
Helderberg Meadworks NV Soulfire Nectar Mead Upper Hudson
84 points
$30
A vivaciously perfumed and overflowing with sweet cherries, cinnamon and crushed red berry flavors — make haste to fetch aged cheese and fresh sourdough to pair.