Kentucky

The state in the southeastern USA with the capital Frankfort, Kentucky covers 104,659 km². It was initially part of Virginia and became the 15th US state in 1792. In 1799, in Jessamine County near Lexington, the Swiss wine pioneer Jean Jacques Dufour (1763-1827) established a vineyard with 35 varieties on a bend of the Kentucky River. Among others, he used the historically significant hybrid Alexander. This vineyard is considered the first commercially operated winery in the USA. Dufour founded the "Kentucky Wineries Association" with some citizens of Lexington in Jessamine County, which was reorganized in 1981. Until Prohibition (1920-1933), Kentucky was still the third-largest wine producer in the USA, but today it has only historical significance in viticulture. The only AVA classified is Ohio River Valley, which Kentucky shares with the states of Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. There are about ten production facilities, and the wine center is around Louisville. Notable wineries include Broad Run Vineyards, Chrisman Mill Vineyards and Winery (in Lexington; considered the successor of the historic Dufour winery), Highland Winery, Lovers Leap Vineyard & Winery, Stovers Family Vineyard, Springhill Vineyards and Winery, and Rolling Hills Winery. There is also a grape variety named after the state, Kentucky.