Mississippi Delta AVA

Mississippi Delta
Wine region
TypeAmerican Viticultural Area
Year established1984[1]
CountryUnited States
Part ofLouisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee
Climate regionRegion V[2]
Precipitation (annual average)36.28 inches (921.51 mm)[2]
Soil conditionsSharkey, Dundee, Commerce, Alligator, Dubbs, Forestdale, Robinsonville, Tunica and Tutwiler[2]
Total area6,000 square miles (3,840,000 acres)[1]
Size of planted vineyards50 to 250 acres (20–101 ha)[3]
Grapes producedEuvitis, Muscadine[2][4]
No. of wineries3[5]

Mississippi Delta is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) on the left (east) bank of the Mississippi River, between Memphis, Tennessee, and Vicksburg, Mississippi. It includes portions of the Mississippi Delta and the watershed of the lower Mississippi River in the states of Louisiana (west bank), Mississippi, and Tennessee. The appellation was recognized on October 1, 1984 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition from Mr. Samuel H. Rushmg of The Winery Rushing, for the establishment of a viticultural area in northwestern Mississippi (with minute segments in Tennessee and Louisiana), to be known as "Mississippi Delta."[1][2]

In the early 1900s, before Prohibition, grape-growing was profitable in the area, and in the late 20th century, the state of Mississippi invested millions of dollars in Mississippi State University's Enology Laboratory, located at Stoneville in the heart of the Delta region. This expenditure was based upon belief that the region will someday become "the grape producing area of the Southeast," according to a letter of support submitted by the petitioner from the head of that Laboratory.[3] The few wineries in Mississippi Delta produce wine from the native Muscadine grapes.[4] The region has a humid subtropical climate and the hardiness zone ranges from 8b in the south to 7b in some Tennessee portions of the Memphis metropolitan area[5][6]

A impediment to the spread of the Mississippi Delta's wine industry is the restrictive local laws in the state of Mississippi. Although Prohibition lasted from 1920 to 1933, the manufacture and sale of liquor was banned within the state from 1907 to 1966, and currently, almost half of Mississippi's counties are dry although not within Mississippi Delta AVA.[5]

  1. ^ a b c "Mississippi Delta Viticultural Area" (27 CFR 9 [T.D. ATF-181; Re: Notice No. 497] Final rule). Federal Register. 49 (170). Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury: 34353–34355. August 30, 1984.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b c d e Rushing, Sam and Diane (June 17, 1982). "Petition to Estabishment of Mississippi Delta AVA". TTB.gov. Merigold, Mississippi: The Rushing Winery. Retrieved October 3, 2024.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b "Mississippi Delta Viticultural Area" (27 CFR 9 [Notice No. 497] Proposed rule). Federal Register. 48 (248). Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury: 56799–56801. December 23, 1983.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ a b "Mississippi Delta (AVA): Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c "Mississippi Delta - Mississippi Wine". Wine-Searcher. August 9, 2023. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map". United States Department of Agriculture. 2012.