Oklahoma is re-establishing its once thriving wine industry. In the 1920s, winemaking played a significant role in the state’s economy, before the dust bowl and Prohibition killed it. In the early 1990s, the industry was struggling. Fortunately, interest in diversifying the state’s agriculture, favorable changes to state laws, and recent recognition ...  [>] Read More of distinct state microclimates combined to help restore a viable wine industry. The industry benefits from a strong grape growers' association repesenting the wineries on a wide range of topics, including recent conversations with state legislature regarding the negative effects of 2,4-D spray on agricultural crops, particularly grape vines. Oklahoma now has close to 40 wineries and a steadily growing number of acres under vine. Most of its vineyard activity is in the northeast, where two of its wineries fall just outside of the Ozark Mountain AVA. In the northwest, a small cluster of wineries thrives in higher elevations around Enid. A single winery grows exclusively Vitis vinifera varietals at high altitudes on the state’s western edge. A wide range of varieties are grown in the state, including native American grapes, French-American hybrids and vinifera. A strong sense of growing the right grapes to match the terroir is emerging and it will take time to determine the best wines for the climate.
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