WINE TRAILS LIST BY STATE For your wine travel enjoyment, here's a list of official wine trails in the United States. Also, we've included a listing for each state's main wine web site, if applicable. ABOUT THIS LIST - HOW IS A WINE TRAIL DESIGNATED? Almost always, official wine trail designation is a joint effort between a state's tourism bureau, department of transportation, and wineries. Typically, wine trail laws designate certain highways as part of a wine trail. The practical effect is to allow wineries to buy wine trail signs with a directional arrow pointing to their wineries. The signs are placed by the transportation department and are usually green or purple with a grape cluster logo. Wine trail signs allows visitors and tourists to easily locate wineries via standardized signage, instead of looking for each individual winery sign. The desired effect is to promote the state's wine industry as a tourist attraction. DO ALL STATES HAVE WINE TRAILS? The short answer is "no", but there are other factors involved. Many states see the value in officially designating wine trails. It is commonly viewed as promoting agricultural tourism, a booming segment of the travel and tourism industry. Further, numerous states promote wine trails as an in state destination, seeking to reach weekend travelers in their own state and thereby capitalizing on a healthy tourism climate. Even though all 50 states have at least one winery, official wine trail designation isn't an automatic. There are numerous reasons, including tourism priorities and lobbying strength among local wineries. Some states have led the way in wine trail designation, specifically New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Iowa, Michigan, and several others. Certain states devote considerable effort to support wine trails and their home state wineries. Pennsylvania and Michigan, for example, both have very comprehensive and updated web sites for their wine industries. In addition, each of their wine trails have their own promotional web sites and brochures, cross promoting not only wineries, but other local attractions. Conversely, some states with dozens of wineries and a thriving local wine industry do not officially designate wine trails. While the specific rationale varies from state to state, it is important to remember one overriding factor. Wine trail designation is a relatively new trend, and many states seem to be on the verge of adopting the practice. In 2009 alone, several new wine trails were designated in the U.S., with more expected in the near future. We view official wine trail designation as a growing trend. Wineries and the wine industry are an important part of each state's economy. With agritourism on the rise, the economic impact of wine travel continues to grow. As a result, it's expected more and more states will move toward official wine trail designations for their wine growing areas.
Alabama - Alabama Wine Site: www.alabamawines.net Alabama Wine Trails: One (1), called the Alabama Wine Trail, encompassing all wineries in the state. A brochure is available from www.alabamatravel.org Alaska - Alaska Wine Site: None Alaska Wine Trails: None (0), although there are a handful of Alaska wineries. Arizona - Arizona Wine Site: www.arizonawines.com Arizona Wine Trails: Three (3). Northern Trail, Southern Trail, Southeastern Trail. No specific websites. Arkansas - Arkansas Wine Site: None Arkansas Wine Trails: None (0), although Arkansas Wine Country is a commonly used term for the cluster of wineries in and around Altus, Arkansas in the northwestern part of the state. California - California Wine Site: www.california-wine.org California Wine Trails: Twelve (12). Listed at above site. Colorado - Colorado Wine Site: www.coloradowine.com Colorado Wine Trails: Three (3). Info at www.coloradowine.com - Front Range Wine Trail Connecticut - Connecticut Wine Site: www.ctwine.com Connecticut Wine Trails: One (1), with two branches. - Connecticut Wine Trail: www.ctwine.com Delaware - Delaware Wine Site: None Delaware Wine Trails: None (0) Florida - Florida Wine Site: www.fgga.org Florida Wine Trails: None (0) Georgia - Georgia Wine Site: www.georgiawine.com Georgia Wine Trails: None (0), although Georgia wineries are clustered in the northeastern section of the state. Hawaii - Hawaii Wine Site: None Hawaii Wine Trails: None (0) Idaho - Idaho Wine Site: www.idahowine.org Idaho Wine Trails: None (0), but many Idaho wineries are located just west of Boise. Illinois - Illinois Wine Site: www.illinoiswine.com Illinois Wine Trails: Five (5) - Northern Illinois Wine
Trail: www.visitnorthernillinois.com Indiana - Indiana Wine Site: www.indianawines.org Indiana Wine Trails: Three (3) - Indiana Uplands Wine
Trail: www.indianauplands.com Iowa - Iowa Wine Site: www.iowawineandbeer.com Also Visit: www.iowawinegrowers.org Iowa Wine Trails: Five (5) - Iowa Wine Trail:
www.iowawinetrail.com Kansas - Kansas Wine Site: www.winesofkansas.com Kansas Wine Trails: None (0). There's a downloadable map of Kansas wineries available at www.kansasgrapesandwines.com Kentucky - Kentucky Wine Site: www.kytourism.com and www.kentuckyvineyardsociety.org Kentucky Wine Trails: None (0) Louisiana - Louisiana Wine Site: None Louisiana Wine Trails: None (0) Maine - Maine Wine Site: None Maine Wine Trails: None (0). Maryland - Maryland Wine Trails: Nine (9) - Frederick Wine Trail:
www.frederickwinetrail.com Massachusetts - Massachusetts Wine Site: www.mass.gov Massachusetts Wine Trails: None (0) Michigan - Michigan Wine Site: www.michiganwines.com Michigan Wine Trails: Four (4) - Lake Michigan Shore Wine
Trail: www.miwinetrail.com Minnesota - Minnesota Wine Site: www.mngrapes.org Also visit: www.minnesotagrown.com Minnesota Wine Trails: Four (4). - Three Rivers Wine Trail: www.3riverswinetrail.com - Wine and Beer History Trail: www.mnriverwinebeerhistorytrail.com - Great River Road Wine Trail: www.greatriverroadwinetrail.org - Heartland Wine Trail: www.heartlandwinetrailmn.com Mississippi - Mississippi Wine Site: None Mississippi Wine Trail: One (1), the Deep South Antique and Wine Trail, a joint venture between the Mississippi and Louisiana Tourism Departments. www.deepsouthantiqueandwinetrail.com Missouri - Missouri Wine Site: www.missouriwine.org Missouri Wine Trails: Five (5) - Missouri River Wine
Trail: www.missouririverwinetrail.com Montana - Montana Wine Site: None Montana Wine Trails: None Nebraska - Nebraska Wine Site: www.nebraskawines.com Nebraska Wine Trails: One (1) info
at www.vintagenebraska.org Nevada - Nevada Wine Site: None Nevada Wine Trails: None New Hampshire Wine Site: www.nhwineryassociation.com New Hampshire Wine Trails: None (0) New Jersey - New Jersey Wine Site: www.newjerseywines.com New Jersey Wine Trails: None (0). There are 35 NJ wineries. New Mexico - New Mexico Wine Site: www.nmwine.com New Mexico Wine Trails: Four (4), info at www.nmwine.com - Northern Wine Trail New York - New York Wine Site: www.uncorkny.com New York Wine Trails: Eleven (11) - Chautauqua Lake Erie Wine
Trail: www.chautauquawinetrail.org North Carolina - North Carolina Wine Site: www.visitncwines.com North Carolina Wine Trails: Four (4) - Yadkin Valley Wine
Trail: www.yvwt.com North Dakota - North Dakota Wine Site: www.ndgga.org North Dakota Wine Trails: One
(1) - North Dakota
Winery Trail: www.ndwinerytrail.com Oklahoma Wine Site: www.oklahomawines.org Oklahoma Wine Trails: None (0). 34 wineries in Oklahoma. Ohio - Ohio Wine Site: www.ohgrapes.org Ohio Wine Trails: Six (6). Info available at www.ohgrapes.org - Lake Erie Vines and Wines
Trail Oregon - Oregon Wine Site: www.oregonwine.org Oregon Wine Trails: None (0), although OregonWine.org divides the state into its 16 American Viticultural Areas (AVA). Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Wine Site: www.pennsylvaniawine.com Pennsylvania Wine Trails: Eleven (11). - Berks County Wine
Trail: www.berkscountywinetrail.com Rhode Island - Rhode Island Wine Site: None Rhode Island Wine Trails: None (0) South Carolina - South Carolina Wine Site: None South Carolina Wine Trails: None (0) South Dakota - South Dakota Wine Site: http://sdgrapes.sdstate.edu/wineries.cfm South Dakota Wine Trails: None (0) Tennessee - Tennessee Wine Site: www.tennesseewines.com Tennessee Wine Trails: None (0) Texas - Texas Wine Site: www.gotexanwine.org Texas Wine Trails: One (1) - Texas Hill Country Wine Trail: www.texaswinetrail.com Utah - Utah Wine Site: None Utah Wine Trails: None (0) Vermont - Vermont Wine Site: www.vermontbrewers.com Vermont Wine Trails: None (0) Virginia - Virginia Wine Site: www.virginiawines.org Virginia Wine Trails: Nine (9) - Monticello Wine
Trail: www.monticellowinetrail.com Washington - Washington Wine Site: www.washingtonwine.org Washington Wine Trails: None (0). The state is divided into 9 AVA's. West Virginia - West Virginia Wine Site: None West Virginia Wine Trails: None Wisconsin - Wisconsin Wine Site: www.wiswine.com Wisconsin Wine Trails: None (0) Wyoming - Wyoming Wine Site: www.wyogrape.com Wyoming Wine Trails: None (0). |