Tennessee has long been famous for its distilleries. When you think of Tennessee, wine doesn't usually come to mind. Things have been changing for the past 10 years.
Tobacco used to be big business in Tennessee. Most farms came with a tobacco allotment that they either utilized and grew it, or they sold it each year for someone else to use. The Department of Agriculture bought out those allotments several years ago and I really have not seen a tobacco crop in several years. That left a big void in agriculture that needed to be filled. They started encouraged farmers to give grapes a try.
In the past decade our total of wineries has risen from 30 to 51, scattered all over the state. I can drive to one of my local ones in 15 minutes. There are at least 4 more within an hour.
Being in close proximity to Nashville, most of these wineries combine music with food and wine events, giving it even more local flavor.
Here is a site that lists all of the wineries that are registered with them.
http://www.tennesseewines.com/wineries.htm
If you happen to be passing through our beautiful state, you should check out this site and give them a try. The wines are surprisingly good and several of them have won awards.
We aren't just whisky and country music anymore.