Why Alabama's emerging wine country should be your next road trip

National Geographic

5 days ago

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Given its southerly latitude, it may seem surprising that Alabama is home to a burgeoning wine country. But amid the undulating landscape piercing the state's northern half, you'll find a colourful, characterful wine trail surrounded by some truly beautiful, waterfall-studded scenery. While southern Alabama is as flat as an American pancake, the sylvan foothills of the Appalachian Mountains enter from the northeast of the state and their dense, layered foliage make driving through this corner of 'Dixie' a joy.
But don't expect grand, urbane wineries on the scale of Napa or Sonoma. For the most part, Alabama's handful of vineyards are helmed by delightfully small mom-and-pop operations offering warm, avuncular welcomes alongside sweeter-tasting wines — often based around the native Muscadine grape — that satiates locals' famous sweet tooth. A road trip through the region's vineyards is a relaxing way to discover one of America's lesser-known states, while enjoying the Southern sun and making new friends over a glass or two. Hit the road
The Saturn V rocket pointing toward the sky from Huntsville's US Space & Rocket Center is visible for miles and perhaps acts as a metaphor for the city's recent rise. Huntsville's handsome and compact downtown is perfect for a stroll, especially Clinton Ave's kooky stores and jaunty street art, while Baker & Able's laid-back rooftop bar above the 106 Jefferson Hotel has fine views of the Appalachians' Cumberland Plateau. Baker & Able's laid-back rooftop bar above the 106 Jefferson Hotel in Huntsville has fine views of the Appalachians' Cumberland Plateau. Photograph by VRX Studios
Opened in 2022 within the bucolic Bankhead National Forest, Sipsey Vineyard & Winery is the newest winery on the Alabama scene, though for the trail itself it's better to jump on the I-65 south and hit Sipsey's airy new tasting room in the city of Cullman, which opened in March 2025. Wine flights are served on elegant tasting boards made from bourbon whiskey staves. Try its collection of red blends, such as Dei Vinea, alongside quirky cider-based creations that owner Bart Crabtree, a former military veteran and relentless raconteur, will invariably offer you.
Around an hour east along the US-278 and AL-79 highways, the Tennessee River opens up and Guntersville's lakeside setting is a wonderfully picturesque spot to hunker down for the night. Stay at the Home2 Suites by Hilton set in the lively City Harbor district, and watch the sun set over the glimmering water with the rolling valleys of Lake Guntersville State Park standing tall behind. The next day, Jules J Berta Vineyards is just a short drive down the US-431 and its wine slushies (yes, really) are a perfect tonic if the humid Alabama summer is cranking up.
Wills Creek Vineyards & Winery is one of the region's more picturesque vineyards, and at just a 25-minute drive from Jules J Berta along Horton Gap Road, they're ideal for pairing up. Both wineries specialise in Muscadine table wines and taking in the view from Wills Creek's back patio of Duck Springs Valley's rounded hills, glass in hand, is a lovely way to pass an afternoon. Sipsey's airy new tasting room in the city of Cullman has wine flights served on elegant tasting boards made from bourbon whiskey staves. Photograph by Sipsey Vineyard & Winery
Gadsden is a good spot to find a hotel and the city's historic downtown has something of the old West about it, with its neat turn-of-the-century buildings lining Broad Street. When evening falls, the roofs are lit up by a bright parade of festoon lights and the art deco Pitman Theatre blinks in glorious neon.
Just a 15-minute drive along the 278, Maraella Vineyards & Winery is perhaps most archetypal of Alabama's breezy Southern hospitality. A small rust-red neighbourhood home flanked by narrow vines to one side, Maraella's porch has brick arches that feel almost Mediterranean, and its sofas are a cosy spot to chat with visitors passing through. In fact, gregarious owner Scott Lee will probably join in, over a glass of his Dorato Vino Muscadine white or one of the vineyard's light blueberry wines.
Just as inviting, High Country Cellars, as the name suggests is deeper into Appalachia than most. Located at the end of a high gravel drive in dense thickets of woodland that skirt Talladega National Forest, this rustic winery is set in a former house, where the bedrooms have been repurposed into offices and the lounge is now a convivial tasting room. The playfully titled Skeeter P apple peach wine is the bestseller, a sweet, zesty glass of sunshine that's ideal for a warm afternoon in this genial and serene corner of the South. Meet the maker: Jules Berta
Jules Berta, Jules J Berta Vineyards: "I was a mechanic by trade, in the Navy for eight years, with three honourable discharges. When I got out of the Navy in 1992, I was broke, divorced and didn't have two nickels to rub together. I came down here [northern Alabama] in 1994 and started messing with the grapes. I bought books and learned all I could. With a little trial and error, here we are. Jules Berta's father — a Hungarian immigrant— brought winemaking knowledge with him to America and started planting vines in northern Alabama in 1987. Photograph by James March
The white wines do very well here, but they have to be picked fairly early because they ripen up much faster in the heat. The reds just soak up the sun, they love it.
The local Muscadine is a primitive variety. It has a very specific, twangy flavour to it. It'll never be considered a serious table wine, but it's fun. You have to serve it here in the South.
Right now, Alabama wine is in its infancy. A couple of years ago, I took a tour up in Virginia. I met a lot of winery owners there and they told me, 'You guys in Alabama are where we were 20 years ago.' They started out with a handful of wineries and now they have over 300." Top three wineries in Alabama
1. Jules J Berta Vineyards
While Alabama's wine industry is still very much in its infancy, Jules J Berta's history with the grape runs deep. Berta's distant relatives in Hungary made wine in the hills near Lake Balaton in the 19th century and his father— a Hungarian immigrant— brought that knowledge with him to America and started planting vines in northern Alabama in 1987. Sadly, he passed away before the winery opened in 2008, but his son Jules has turned this pastoral spot near Albertville into one of the state's most successful ventures.
As with most of the state's vineyards, there's plenty of the fruit-forward Muscadine grown here, though you'll also find spicy Syrah and Cabernet red blends like the Black Widow and some light, local Sylvaner varieties, too. Wood-fired pizza is served Thursday and Saturday, which makes for a delicious wine pairing. Vines grow behind yellow wildflowers at Jules J Berta Winery near Albertville, Alabama, where the family cultivates Muscadine, Syrah and other varieties. Photograph by Jules Berta
2. Wills Creek Vineyards & Winery
Wills Creek co-owner Jahn Coppey calls the Muscadine grape 'his medicine' though the cinematic views from the winery's back terrace could be equally as therapeutic. Duck Springs Valley's rotund hills form a sublime backdrop, with a nearby lake attended to by eagles, ospreys and hawks occasionally diving for bass alongside the faint rumble of Interstate 59 somewhere beyond the horizon.
As with Jules J Berta, there's a European connection here, too. Coppey is a native of Switzerland and still has hints of his old Swiss-French accent. His winery grows 10 acres of Muscadine, though there are fruit wines here too, including strawberry, pear, blueberry and peach blends. He also makes a syrupy sweet Muscadine dessert wine. Cheese platters are served to pair with the wine, featuring a variety of local cheeses, asparagus, salami sausage and cashew nuts.
3. Fruithurst Winery Co
Just five miles from the Georgia state line, Fruithurst Winery Co sits in rural, church-strewn Cleburne County. Wine has been grown in this area since 1894 and while prohibition shut down that practice, cousins Dylan and Joshua Laminack opened Fruithurst in 2009 and it's since become a regional favourite.
The creaking rocking chair outside their wooden building looks out onto quiet backroads with 20 acres of vines just to the right-hand side. It's a serene setting for sipping their intense and sweet Muscadine white Fruithurst Gem, though Dylan and his wife Jessica's affable chatter and tales never let the volume get too low. While there's not much in terms of food served, Fruithurst does host several summer and harvest time festivals with food trucks and live music. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).