The Tennessee Wine and Grape Board was established by legislation and signed into law by Governor Bill Lee in May of 2019. The Board was established to support the growth of the wine industry and
was allocated funds that must be used to:
(1) Increase the number of wineries in this state;
(2) Improve the quality of wine produced by wineries in this state;
(3) Promote the wine industry and viticulture in this state; and
(4) Implement and maintain a wholesaler rebate program for Tennessee wineries.
In 2023 Tennessee’s Wine and Grape Board created the Quality Assurance Program (QAP) as a way to both improve the quality of wine produced in the state and promote the wine industry.
This is a reimbursement project administered by Tennessee Farm Winegrowers Alliance. The purpose is to encourage Tennessee wineries to assess their wines through laboratory analysis and independent judging. Any wine that is “blended, cellared, produced, vinted, made, or prepared” in accordance with TTB regulations and bottled/packed by a Tennessee winery is eligible. Excluded are wines simply bottled in TN or bottled out of state.
To promote wine quality in Tennessee, analysis and entry fees for competitions for up to five (5) vintages per individual winery up to $750.00 will be subsidized per contract period. Wineries will be reimbursed the cost for standard laboratory analysis as specified below and the competition fees in
the named competitions specified below to include shipping. Wineries will be reimbursed on a first come first serve basis for the program year.
Subsidized Wine Analysis at commercial laboratories:
Malic acid content, pH (mg/100mls), Free SO2 (mg/L), Total SO2 (mg/L), TA (g/L), VA (g/100mls), Alcohol (%) & Residual Sugar (%)
Subsidized Competitions:
- Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
- San Francisco International Wine Competition
- International Eastern Wine Competition
- New York International Wine Competition
- American Wine Society Competition
Wines that pass standard laboratory analysis and receive a medal or above at one of the named competitions will be eligible to display the Tennessee QAP logo on the vintage receiving recognition.
Wineries may apply for this reimbursement by following the instructions and uploading documents below. Please pay special attention to the dates within the upload instructions.