Vineyards

BLUEGRASS VINEYARDS
Vineyards
In 1798 Jean-Jacques Dufour was sent to the new world by the Marquis de Lafayette to find land that would support his interest in viticulture. Upon arriving in central Kentucky he met several distinguished businessmen, including Henry Clay, who agreed to help finance his proposal. Dufour followed advice from Thomas Jefferson who suggested he look in central Kentucky for land and bought 600 acres on the Kentucky River just outside Lexington. The same year Dufour established the Kentucky Vineyard Society and built America’s first commercial winery – five years later he presented his first vintage to the public.
Since then Kentucky vineyards have survived several agricultural disasters, the Civil War, and Prohibition to grow into a main branch of Kentucky Agritourism.
The following is a list of vineyards and wineries around the Lexington area.