American wines
American wines are generally identified by the varietal grape that makes the wine. This approach, of course, greatly differs from many European traditions, where a bottle of wine tells you in which area the grape for this wine grew. With French wine, for example, you drink Burgundy, not Pinot Noir.
Why do they go against the old-aged traditions in the New World? The reason is clearly simple: there are a number of grape varietals grown in the same American wine areas. In Napa Valley, you will find Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, to name just a few of the red wines. For comparison, Pinot Noir is the red wine grape grown in the vineyards of Burgundy. The French wine drinker knows that if he drinks a red wine from Burgundy, he is drinking that very Pinot Noir. The location tells all.
So to make things simpler, American wineries label their goods primarily by grape varietal.
In certain areas of America titles have become widely associated with particular varietals - to name just a few - the Willamette Valley in Oregon with Pinot Noir, Marlborough in New Zealand with Sauvignon Blanc, and Stag’s Leap with Cabernet Sauvignon.