Mississippi Delta is the only American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the state of Mississippi, in the deep south of the United States. Running along the eastern edge of the Mississippi River from the north-east corner of Louisiana to the south-west corner of Tennessee, the AVA takes in around 160 miles (260km) of fertile, alluvial river plain.
Despite high early hopes for the area, it has not proven to be well suited to viticulture, and little wine is produced there, save for a small amount of Muscadine and Norton. The humid, subtropical climate in the Mississippi Delta promotes fungal diseases such as downy mildew and Pierce's disease, preventing the spread of viticulture on a commercial scale. The small number of producers in the AVA tend toward the native Muscadine family of grapes, the thick skins of which are much more resistant to the negative effects of humidity.
Another major barrier to the spread of the Mississippi Delta's wine industry is the restrictive local laws in the state of Mississippi. While nationwide Prohibition lasted from 1920 to 1933, the manufacture and sale of liquor were banned in Mississippi from 1907 to 1966, and even today, almost half of Mississippi's counties are dry (although none of them lie within the Mississippi Delta viticultural area).
The AVA was formalized in 1984, but as yet has not attracted any large-scale viticultural pursuits. What little wine that is made in Mississippi Delta is usually consumed by locals, and as such is rarely seen outside the state.
