Wine Production in Arkansas
 |
 |
Niagra grapes arrive at the Cowie Wine Cellars in Paris, Arkansas |
Arkansas pioneered wine production in the South. German-Swiss immigrants settling in Franklin County in the 1870s noted that the soil and climate of the Ozark foothills were well suited for grape cultivation. Coal miners and railroad workers were the customers for early winemakers such as Johann Wiederkehr, Jacob Post, and Alfred Sax.
The first wines were produced from native berries and grapes, but Joseph Bachman and other grape breeders soon developed cultivars that gained national recognition. In the early twentieth century the Italian immigrants who established Tontitown in Washington County found the soil suitable for growing Concord grapes, and several families established wineries, none of which survive today.
During the Prohibition era, vintners had to market their wine grapes as suitable for eating. After drink was legalized in the 1930s, wineries sprouted in localities throughout the state, including Monticello, Texarkana, Conway, and Little Rock. Eventually the federal government licensed 147 wineries, although only about a dozen had substantial production. Today only five continue the tradition. Wiederkehr Wine Cellars and Post Familie Vineyard and Winery in the Altus area consistently rank among the top wine producers in the United States, and Arkansas wines have won prizes in international competitions.
|
