On Oct. 15 and 16, 11 winemakers from around the state will converge on the sprawling grounds of Wills Creek Winery in Attalla to offer guests wines to sample and purchase, accompanied by a selection of food trucks and live music.

The Alabama Wine Festival launched last year as the first large festival in the state where vintners could sell bottles of their wine directly to festival attendees without having to go through a wholesaler or distributor.

Before 2021, participating in food and wine festivals had long been a headache for Alabama winemakers. While they were allowed to pour samples of their wines for festival attendees, vintners weren’t allowed to actually sell the wines directly to patrons. Instead, guests who wanted to purchase a bottle of a wine they’d tasted at a festival would have three options: arrange the sale through a distributor who would contact the wineries and coordinate pickup at a shop that carried the wine, or visit the winery’s brick and mortar location.

That changed last spring Gov. Kay Ivey signed the “wine festival bill” into law, an act which allows winemakers in the state to apply for a festival license to host and participate in wine festivals or large tasting events without going through a distributor. The law also allows certain organizations, such as incorporated arts districts, to apply for licenses from the ABC to host festivals featuring Alabama wineries without having to use a distributor to provide the wine.

[READ MORE: Wine festivals have long been a ‘headache’ for Alabama winemakers. That could change in the fall]

Kimberly Bearden was the president of the Alabama Winemakers and Grape Growers Association when the wine festival bill passed in 2021. As soon as Gov. Ivey signed the bill into law, Bearden launched into gear and spent four months helping wineries get paperwork together in order to participate in the first Alabama Wine Festival. Bearden, who now oversees Alabama Wine Inc.–an organization geared toward aiding commercial wineries and vineyards in the state– says vintners had more time to prepare this year.

“We started out way early getting ready,” said Bearden. “We had our first organization meeting in January of this year to just start gauging the interest of every single winery which, of course, involved calling every single winery and asking whether they would be interested.”

Almost every winery who participated in the festival last year was eager to return. One winery initially signed up, but the owners had to back out once they realized they wouldn’t be able to produce enough wine.

“That’s something wineries have to think about all year long. Produce, produce, produce,” said Bearden. “Because it’s not just for the customer that walks through the door. If you’re going to participate in festivals, you have to make a lot more [wine] than you normally make so you can have enough to have at a festival.”

In order to sell at this year’s festival, winemakers also had to apply for another festival license.

“You have to start the process completely over for every single festival you do,” said Bearden.

“A couple of wineries thought ‘I got the festival license last year. I’m all set.’ Nope, you have to do it all over again.”

Besides the logistics, Bearden says the wineries are looking forward to this weekend’s festival.

“The ones that came last year know what to expect. They realize how lucrative this is going to be. The other wineries, I’m sure, [are] excited to see how it’s going to turn out and how many people we’ll get.”

More than 300 people attended the inaugural Alabama Wine Festival. Bearden says this year’s organizers–Alabama Wine Inc., the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, the Greater Gadsden Area Tourism and Albertville radio station WQSB 105– are expecting even more guests this year, especially since this weekend’s festival is a two-day celebration.

Organizers are also expecting to have more staff this year. In 2021, volunteers signed up to help vintners set up their tables and welcome guests. This year, Bearden says staff will be paid for their time working the festival. Another change: staff will also have special shirts.

In addition to samples from winemakers, the festival will have a cash bar for attendees who want to buy full glasses of wine. The festival will also feature several food trucks serving up barbeque, tacos, burgers, nachos, and street corn. For patrons who want to enjoy a selection of fruit, cured meats, and cheese with their wine, Gardendale Graze will offer a selection of charcuterie boards.

Planning to head to the Alabama Wine Festival? Here’s what you need to know about the festival dates, time, tickets, and participating wineries.

DATE, TIME, and LOCATION:

The Alabama Wine Festival is Saturday, Oct. 15 and Sunday, Oct. 16 from noon to 4:00 p.m. on the grounds of Wills Creek Vineyards and Winery.

ADDRESS

Wills Creek Vineyards and Winery 10522 Duck Springs Road Attalla, Alabama 35954

PARTICIPATING WINERIES

There are 11 participating wineries: Corbin Farms (Calera),High Country Cellars (Heflin), Junavelli Winery (Brewton), Jules Berta Winery (Albertville), Novi Vineyards & Winery (Alpine), Robyn’s Garden (Huntsville), South Ridge Wine (Luverne), Tiss Valley Winery & Vineyard (Midway),Whippoorwhill Vineyards (Notasulga), White Oak Vineyards (Anniston), and Wills Creek Vineyard (Attalla).

TICKETS

Online ticket sales for the Alabama Wine Festival are available on the Wills Creek Winery website until Thursday, Oct. 13th. Tickets will also be available to the gate for $50 per person for one day, or $70 per person for two days.

Designated driver tickets (tickets for people who don’t plan to drink) are available for $10 per person. Designated driver ticket holders will receive a $10 food voucher.

RESTRICTIONS

The Alabama Wine Festival is an adults-only event. The festival will not allow pets, except for service animals.

LODGING

For festival attendees who are interested in lodging near the Alabama Wine Festival, Wills Creek Vineyard lists a number of options on the wine festival section of its website, including chain hotels, as well as smaller beds and breakfasts.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information and updates about the Alabama Wine Festival, visit the Wills Creek Winery festival website or the Alabama Wine Festival Facebook Page.