Tennessee Wine Facts In the late 1800s, vineyards were flourishing in Tennessee, with 1,128 acres planted in grapes, mostly in areas that were considered unsuitable for the production of other crops, according to the Tennessee Farm Winegrowers Alliance (www.TennesseeWines.com). Grapes were on the way to becoming Tennessee’s largest cash crop, when Prohibition all but stopped their production in 1919. Fast forward another 60 years, and there was a resurgence of interest in winemaking in Tennessee. Tennessee’s first crush (or harvest) of grapes for the purpose of winemaking occurred in 1980. Tennessee’s first wineries were licensed in 1980, and by 1992 there were eighty-­‐four growers in the state, with more than 270 acres devoted to grape production. In August 2015, Tennessee is home to 66 wineries and has more than 650 acres of land in grape production, according to the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Tennessee has seen tremendous growth in the industry in recent years, and wine quality is improving every year. Dozens of local wine makers (including those on Thunder Road Wine Trail) have won prestigious awards at international wine competitions. In fact, Tennessee wineries are the largest agritourism sector in the state, according to a 2010 study complied by TDA, and grapes are the state’s third largest fruit crop. Tennessee’s climate is suitable for only select varieties of wine-­‐producing grapes. Our unique regional red grape varietal wines include Chancellor, Cynthiana and Chambourcin with Seyval, Catawba, and Traminette as our leading white varietals. “Unlike the classic California varietals, these regional grapes do well in Tennessee’s humid, subtropical climate, and our vintners use them to produce award-­‐winning wines,” said Rick Riddle, president of the new Thunder Road Wine Trail, opening in September 2015. The wine trail features six wineries and more than 60 different wines. Visit www.ThunderRoadWineTrail.com for more information.