During the late 1800s it seemed that wine grapes would become the most important cash crop in Tennessee. Prohibition all but killed this notion and it would be almost 100 years before Tennessee would witness a rebirth of the industry. The majority of Tennessee’s 30+ wineries are concentrated in the middle and eastern parts of the state, where farmers were eager to find a good alternative crop to offset the declining tobacco industry. Most wineries are working with American cluster grapes and French-American hybrids, which seem the most adaptable to Tennessee’s humid growing conditions. Wineries also struggle to find varietals hardy enough to withstand cold winters, while still producing wines with appeal to consumers. Vitas vinifera varieties are very susceptible to fungal diseases in these parts, making them problematic for Tennessee growers. It is fair to say that the search for the right terroir-varietal match-up is in the early stages in Tennessee.