Tennessee wine
| Wine region | |
 Tennessee Viticultural Areas | |
| Official name | State of Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Type | U.S. State Appellation[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Sub-regions | Mississippi Delta AVA, Appalachian High Country AVA, Upper Cumberland AVA |
| Climate region | Humid Subtropical and Oceanic[2] |
| Total area | 42,169 square miles (109,217 km2) |
| Grapes produced | Baco noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carlos, Catawba, Cayuga, Chambourcin, Chancellor, Chardonnay, Chardonel, Chenin blanc, Concord, Cynthiana, Doreen, Leon Millot, Marechal Foch, Merlot, Muscadine, Niagara, Noble, Noiret, Norton, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Seyval blanc, Steuben, Traminette, Vidal blanc, Viognier[1] |
| No. of wineries | 55[3] |
Tennessee wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Indigenous tribes and early European settlers harvested the native fox grapes from the local frontier. In 1760, proposals were made to the General Assembly for the encouragement of this useful undertaking. An Act was passed to "stimulate the cultivation of the vineyard proposing that £500 be given as a premium to any persons producing the best wine in a quantity no less than 10 hogshead." Wine production was nationally acknowledged as early in the 1840 national census. By 1889, the area's principal wine grapes were Concord, Virginia Norton and Martha.
Grape production increased in the state until 1925 at which time there was a major reduction in vine and wine production throughout Virginia after Prohibition was established with ratification of the 18th Amendment in 1919. However, grape hybridization and experimentation continued at Virginia Tech's horticultural farm on the North Fork throughout the 1920's right up to present times. Numerous crosses were made and five varieties released from 1949 through 1969. Today, Virginia Tech operates its experimental vineyard in the Valley of the North Fork, including varietals trials of advanced breeding lines from other states. Other state vineyards are emerging with wine producing cultivars of vitis vinifera and European hybrids replacing American varieties.[4] The focus on French hybrid and native grapes is due to their resistant to the fungal grapevine diseases common in Tennessee's humid climate.
Most of the state's wineries within its three American Viticultural Areas are located in Middle and East Tennessee.[3] A small portion of the recognized Mississippi Delta AVA extends into the southwestern part of the state.[1] The newest viticultural area, Upper Cumberland, was established on June 14, 2024.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Tennessee: Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
- ^ "Tennessee Climatology". East Tennessee State University. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "Tennessee Wineries". Tennessee Farm Winegrowers Alliance. 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
- ^ Kegley, Frederick Bittle (1938). Kegley's Virginia Frontier. the Beginning of the Southwest, the Roanoke of Colonial Days, 1740-1783. Southwest Virginia Historical Society. ASIN B0006AO118.
- ^ "Establishment of the Upper Cumberland Viticultural Area" (27 CFR Part 9 [Docket No. TTB-2023-0006; T.D. TTB-194; Re: Notice No. 224] RIN 1513-AD02 Final Rule). Federal Register. 89 (95). Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury: 42363–42366. May 15, 2024.
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