Viticulture

Tennessee has a long history with growing and harvesting grapes, also known as viticulture. A U.S. Department Agricultural report from 1880 citied 1,128 acres of grape production in Tennessee. After the Civil War, grape-growing was on track to become an important cash crop in the state, but the industry halted during prohibition.

Within the last quarter of the 20th century, however, Tennessee saw an increase in grape growing and winemaking. Commercial grape growing resumed in the mid-1970s with approximately 125 acres by 1978. A University of Tennessee report from 2015 shares that the wine and grape industry is growing nationally with Tennessee showing especially strong recent growth. 

Tennessee had more than 780 acres of grapes in 2022 and 77 wineries in 2024.

The Wine and Grape Board was established to support the growth of the wine industry and is comprised of seven members including representatives from TDA and the Department of Tourist Development as well as five other members appointed by the Governor. The board is attached to TDA for administrative purposes.