I'm not sure if there's much available on the internet, but my local AAA publication had a nice story on the Alabama wine trail - you heard that right, Alabama wine trail. The most common grape used is muscadine, which usually yields a very sweet product. Additionally, peach is a popular ingredient too. Other fruits mentioned are watermelon, raspberries, blackberries, scuppernong grapes and blueberries. Traditional grapes are also used: chardonnay, merlot, petit syrah, riesling, cabernet franc, norton & lenoir. One of the wineries, White Oak Vineyards, is about 3 miles from my home. I've yet to visit, but will before the week is out. Most of the others are within 2 hours drive for me.

Websites for anyone interested: julesbertavineyards.com willscreekvineyards.com whiteoakal.com thefruithurstwineryco.com bryantvineyard.com morgancreekwinery.com vizzinifarmswinery.com ozanwine.com perdidovineyards.com

I'd be curious to hear what the BsAs crowd would make of a watermelon wine. :eek:

Truth be told, pineapple wine isn't as bad as you think. We visited the winery on Maui. It's a very cute set up in the Maui mountains. The wine doesn't taste like you just cracked open a pineapple. It's tastes 'flavored' in a good way.

It was perfect for sipping at the pool as the sun set into the Pacific. It's also perfect for the college crowd if you know what I mean. ;)

I'm not that wine snobby that I can't appreciate a nice wine when I taste it. For $11 bucks, knock yourself out. :p

The fruit wines from Hoodsport Winery in Washington are good.

Their Raspberry wine is my personal favorite.

The same winery also makes Madeleine Angevine which is a nice-drinking wine (IMHO). About Madeleine Angevine at Wine Compass.

Tedeschi, right? Surprisingly drinkable.

pineapple wine = spoof juice !!!!!!!

:p

Virginia wines are almost invariably terrible in my experience. My experience includes working in a wine shop in virginia for several years. Barboursville makes an almost OK cab franc. King family is INSANE charging the prices they do. Kluge has positively lost it. The other stuff is just downright gross, and i've tried a lot of it. Unfortunately, what many wine makers fail to realize or try in vain to fight against is that most grapes can't handle the humidity in Virginia. Cab franc and viognier can be OK, and the occasional chard done in stainless steel. Other than that, forget it. I will say, though, the best VA wine I've had (and I objectively consider it a good wine) is the Linden chardonnay. It's excellent, though it tastes mostly like Sauv Blanc. Anyway, just my $0.02.

Horton grows a lot tannet and Touriga Nacional. i know that the cab franc has a lot of tannet in it. i do not know where the Touriga Nacional goes. but but it would not take much of either of those two would put a dark cast on a pinot blanc.

Didnt Thomas Jefferson make wine in VA or am I getting my state and President wrong..????!!! :D

Horton is pretty adventuresome ... I particularly like the Norton, a native American grape
that lacks most of that detestable foxiness of native species. Horton Norton - bought it
for the name, bought it again for the taste.

You're right in both cases, but also remember that he also imported a lot of
French wine.

yea he made it in va. i assume it was as lousy as va cabernet or shard is today. he also smuggled Arborio rice or equivalent out of italy in a diplomatic pouch. taking it out of italy carried a death penalty at that time.

We have hit two in the last few days.

White Oak is 3 miles from our house. The owner's studied winemaking at Cal Poly and spent 30 years with the USDA in California. He grew up here and came back after retiring. We tried 4 wines: 1. A Chambourcin was delightful. We liked it enough to bring a bottle to dinner with a French couple Saturday night (one of whom is in the wine business) 2. An unoaked Chardonel was an eye-opener. Unfortunately, not currently available for sale, but can be tasted. I have discovered that aging in oak is what gives Chardonnay its sweaty gym socks taste. 3. A Burgundy made of Norton grapes was passable but unremarkable. 4. The Cabernet has an odd flavor. When the owner asked what I thought of it, I could only admit it wasn't my favorite.

Wills Creek, run by a Swiss family, is about an hour and 15 minutes north. We tried 3 wines. 1. A Muscadot (75% Merlot, 25% Muscadine) was awful. Tasted like a dry grape soda. 2. The Pinot Noir was light and fruity. We bought a bottle for later. 3. A white Muscadine was not overly sweet. Would go nicely with cheesecake.

We are planning to visit Jules Berta, the mad Hungarian (aren't they all?), on Saturday with BV Jr#1 and his wife. We will then head to Guntersville for lunch. We'll skip the fruit wines, but will taste the Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Blaufrankish/Petit Syrah. White wines include Sylvaner, Aurore & Riesling/Chardonnay.

We were given passports at the first stop. After the 7th winery on the trail, we will receive some sort of commemorative glasses. This is going to be fun. We'll probably finish up next weekend with the 3 south of B'ham and the one in Taladega, which better not have a NASCAR themed wine.