Category archives: Industry

Most people don’t realize the Missouri wine industry pre-dates California and most other states. French settlers in the St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve regions began growing grapes in the late 18th and early 19th century. Grape growing accelerated in the 19th century with the arrival of German settlers in central…

Creating a new website is never easy. Creating a website to cover an entire industry is nearly impossible. Several years back, I visited Georgia to taste the current vintages, and more importantly, see where the industry was headed through my own lens. Not surprisingly, and consistent with the other 46…

Earlier this week, well-respected winemaker and owner, David Harris of BlackStock Vineyards, made the difficult decision to close their doors. A pioneer in the North Georgia wine industry, David established the vineyard in 1996. This marks the second time in a little over a year that a large winery has announced…

West Virginia wine? I asked the same question and was surprised to learn there are 18 active farm wineries spread throughout the state. There are 3 designated American Viticultural Areas including the multi-state Ohio River Valley, Kanawha River Valley (part of the much larger Ohio River Valley) and the Shenandoah Valley…

Prior to arriving to North Georgia, a wine lovers’ rendezvous just north of Atlanta, I spent a little time perusing the web in anticipation of my trip to wine country. Much to my surprise and dissatisfaction, there is no single site that covers the industry as a whole. Instead, visitors…

Michigan is home to more than 70 wineries and 4 federally approved viticultural areas (AVAs). In the northwest part of the state lie the Leelanau Peninsula and the Old Mission Peninsula. In the southwest lie the Lake Michigan Shore and Fennville AVAs. Experiencing explosive growth over the past 10 years,…