The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) is beefing up its expertise in the grape and winery game with a refreshed roster of professionals aimed at nurturing this burgeoning segment of Tennessee's farm economy. Keith Carver, UTIA's senior vice chancellor and senior vice president, noted the potential of viticulture and enology for the state, emphasizing the desire to see these industries "thrive and grow," as reported in a recent UTIA announcement.
Not only are grape operations and wineries sprawling across Tennessee – with 29 of the state's 95 counties hosting wineries as of the end of 2024 – but they're also becoming hotspots for agritourism, which works in tandem with traditional agriculture. UTIA agricultural economists pegged the wine industry's total economic impact in Tennessee at a robust $610 million in 2024. This figure encapsulates the added value from tourism dollars and over 3,340 jobs while greasing the wheels of local and state budgets with about $62 million in tax revenues.
The fresh blood at UT's Department of Plant Sciences includes the talents of Pierre Davadant and Annie Vogel. They are stepping in to further the legacy of David Lockwood, a veteran who for 50 years groomed the state's prowess in grape growing and winemaking. According to the same UTIA article, the faculty is anticipated to welcome a third member specializing in fermentation sciences come January 2026, making even more years of knowledge ferment into future growth.
Davadant, hailing from France and armed with an agronomy degree from École d’Ingénieurs de Purpan, and a viticulture and enology one from SupAgro in Montpellier, digs deep into Tennessee's grape potential. His mission is to map out grape varieties that thrive well in the state's climate. Besides academics, he's orchestrating vineyard practices to cut down frost risk, in addition to fighting the relentless fungal diseases, managing vine vigor, and pushing the envelope on fruit and wine quality. Davadant plans to make East, Middle, and West Tennessee's wines a testament to their unique climates and soils.
On the Extension and outreach flank, Vogel is donning the cap of assistant professor and UT Extension commercial fruit specialist. Her compass is set on polishing a comprehensive educational program for commercial fruit production statewide, linking growers with research insights. Her Extension efforts will interlace production and management guidelines attuned to regional climates, advocating for crop diversity and championing integrated pest management through a horticultural lens. Vogel's experience spans working with Georgia's vineyards and probing the nuances of the grape canopy during her time at the University of Georgia.
The UTIA ensemble is ready to serve the grape growers and wineries of Tennessee, and those eager to connect can reach out to Davadant at [email protected], Vogel at [email protected], and the still-involved Lockwood at [email protected], as they pour their expertise into the state's viticulture. The Institute, encompassing the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch, and UT Extension, continues its mission of delivering tangible solutions that resonate with the lives of Tennesseans.
