The Winery Rush of Alabama

Discovering the wine region of Alabama

Alabama is a state in the DeepSouth of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the west and Georgia to the east. Although there has never been a significant wine industry in Alabama, there are a small but growing number of winemakers who produce wines from the muscadine family of grapes native to this Part of the United States. The state covers 135,500 square miles, from the Gulf of Mexico to the southern foothills of the Appalachian mountain range. It is on this higher ground, North of the city of Birmingham, that most of Alabama's vineyards are grown.

Here, the cooler Climate is more forgiving to the vines, which struggle to cope with the hot, humid environment of the southern part of the state. In these elevated vineyards, growers are experimenting with both Hybrid and vinifera varieties, although they must carefully choose the site and viticultural techniques to get the most out of the grapes. Plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Muscat are increasing throughout Alabama, joining thick-skinned Muscadine grapes. Pierce's disease and downy mildew have been major problems in Alabama vineyards.