Tennessee wine
Encyclopedia
Tennessee wine refers to wine
made from grape
s grown in the U.S. state of Tennessee
. The state was home to a wine industry in the 19th century that was crushed when Prohibition
was introduced in the early 20th century. The modern Tennessee wine industry focuses on French hybrid grapes, which are more resistant to the fungal
grapevine
disease
s that thrive in Tennessee's humid
climate
. Most of the wineries in the state are located in the eastern half of Tennessee. A small portion of the Mississippi Delta AVA
, a designated American Viticultural Area
extends into the southwestern part of the state.
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
made from grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s grown in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. The state was home to a wine industry in the 19th century that was crushed when Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
was introduced in the early 20th century. The modern Tennessee wine industry focuses on French hybrid grapes, which are more resistant to the fungal
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
grapevine
Grapevine
Grapevine is the common name for plants of the genus Vitis. Other meanings include:*Grapevine , a term often used to describe a form of communication by means of gossip or rumor, as in "heard it through the grapevine"...
disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
s that thrive in Tennessee's humid
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
. Most of the wineries in the state are located in the eastern half of Tennessee. A small portion of the Mississippi Delta AVA
Mississippi Delta AVA
The Mississippi Delta AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes portions of the Mississippi Delta and the watershed of the lower Mississippi River in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Since the creation of the AVA in 1984, there has been very little viticulture in...
, a designated American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
extends into the southwestern part of the state.