Alabama has several bonded wineries that are mostly located in the central part of the state near Birmingham.
The reason for this is because the climate of the northeastern Piedmont region is suitable for vinifera cultivation, but due to the hot and humid climate throughout much of the state, most wines produced are native American varieties such as Muscadine and Norton, fruit wines such as peach and blueberry and French-American hybrids such as Chambourcin and Chardonel.
Alabama's wine industry is relatively young and over a third of Alabama's counties are dry.
Tours typically last from 30 to 60 minutes per tour and they are well worth your time to check out the different ones. Each one has their own flavors, beauty, and charm to experience.
What is even more awesome is that most wineries offer free samples of their wines when you go through a tour as well. Some do more formal tasting events as well. The tours are extremely interesting and fun to do too. They aren't just there to sample the wine that you're looking forward to but are actually very informative and you get to meet a lot of like-minded people usually that are also doing the tour. It's always nice to a fellow wine lover! - Be sure to call ahead if you are planning on doing a tour at one of the wineries or vineyards though to check on availability since many of them get very busy during season.
