The first wine grapes were planted in the 16th century by
Spanish missionaries for the production of
sacramental wine for
Christian religious ceremonies. Because of the tropical climate and
grapevine diseases, particularly
Pierce's disease,
vitis vinifera does not grow well in Florida. The
Florida Wine Grape Growers Association (FWGGA) was established in 1923. In the 1930s, researchers at the
University of Florida helped develop new hybrid
grape varieties from the indigenous
Muscadine to be more ecologically suitable for Florida's climate, including
Blanc du Bois,
Stover,
Swanee,
Daytona,
Orlando Seedless and
Miss Blanc. As early as 1991
Florida Orange Groves Winery began to develop wines made from 100% tropical fruit. Thanks to their efforts the term Florida Wine now encompasses varieties like mango, key lime, orange, grapefruit, blueberry and strawberry. Following in the footsteps of Florida Orange Groves Winery are several other wineries located in Florida now experimenting with tropical fruits. There are no designated
American Viticultural Areas in Florida. == See also ==