The Upper Cumberland’s recent designation as an American Viticultural Area brings lots of new opportunities for the region’s wineries.
Appalachian Region Wine Producers Association President James Riddle said this new status from the federal government will highlight local wine destinations and identify locally produced wines as unique to this region. Riddle said the wineries in the region are now getting ready to put this categorization on their labels and in their marketing efforts.
“Those labels and the justification for utilization of the AVA on the labels goes through a process within the TTB,” Riddle said. “Those labels then have to be approved.”
Riddle said it will likely take a couple of years for the wineries to get approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Riddle said promoting this wine region will improve the Upper Cumberland’s reputation within the wine community and beyond.
“You’ll notice at the bottom front of a wine label they will have the AVA nomenclature and that will be Upper Cumberland,” Riddle said. “A lot of people see it on… Paso Robles, a variety of AVAs that are very well recognized.”
Riddle said it is important to support and protect the wine industry with efforts like this because the industry serves as another way to preserve Tennessee farmland. Riddle said the new status will also attract additional commerce and tourism to the area that will extend past the wine industry.
“Tourism is going to continue to grow,” Riddle said. “It’s the number two industry in the state of Tennessee. It’s shown significant year-over-year growth for many, many years and I think it will continue to grow. And we want our wine industry to be a big part of it.”
Riddle said the Upper Cumberland’s wine region is part of an ongoing effort to establish three viticultural areas running across the state, with one for the Upper Cumberland, East Tennessee, and West Tennessee respectively.
“The vast majority of wine consumed in the state is from out of state,” Riddle said. “And our wine makers are some of the best in the world and they can compete with anybody and we have unique varietals and unique blends that are made in Tennessee that we want people to recognize and identify as Tennessee wines.”
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