FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 13, 2011
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-1137

 

October set aside to celebrate Kentucky's grape and wine industry

FRANKFORT, Ky. — October Grape and Wine Month is an opportunity for Kentuckians to celebrate this fast-growing industry, Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said.

Grape and Wine Program logo“Kentucky’s wine industry has grown from no wineries 20 years ago to 63 today,” Commissioner Farmer said. “Several of these wineries are winning awards for their outstanding Kentucky Proud wines in competitions all over the country. This industry is generating economic activity and creating jobs throughout the Commonwealth.”

Kentucky’s grape and wine industry returned to prominence with the help of marketing and promotional assistance from the Kentucky Proud program and investments from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Grape and Wine Program promotes the industry, connects grape producers with buyers, offers cost share and reimbursement programs for Kentucky’s small-farm wineries, and provides administrative services for the Kentucky Grape and Wine Council. The Department worked with the Council to produce an award-winning documentary about the industry in 2009.

Kentucky was the home of the first commercial vineyard in the United States, in present-day Jessamine County in the late 18th century. Kentucky once was the third-largest grape- and wine-producing state in the nation, but Prohibition brought an end to the industry in the state. More than 600 acres in Kentucky are in grape production today.

Kentucky Proud wines are available at wineries and in retail stores across the Commonwealth. Several Kentucky wineries are set up as destinations that offer concerts, tastings, theme dinners, and other events. The Northern Kentucky Wine Festival, scheduled for Oct. 15 at MainStrasse Village in Covington, is one of several wine festivals that take place in Kentucky every year.

For more information about Kentucky’s grape and wine industry, and to find a Kentucky Proud winery near you, go to www.kentuckywine.com. Find out more about the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Grape and Wine Program on the Department's website.