Visiting North Carolina Wineries?Intro to North CarolinaAll North Carolina wineries combined rank #10 of the US wine production. In 2007, it had about 60 wineries and close to 400 vineyards covering over 1,500 acres. The number of wineries at least tripled since 2001 and keeps growing.The mild climate of the state, as well as the microclimate of certain areas (Yadkin valley being the most famous), allows wine growers to cultivate popular varieties such as Cab Sav, Cab Franc and Chardonnay. However, they remain faithful to the first American grape – muscadine, also known here as Scuppernong. Viognier and other Italian varieties grow well here too. You will be surprised by the variety of grapes each North Carolina winery grows. No wonder the state is compared to California when it comes to wine. Drink wine – love life! Muscadines grapes contain high levels of Resveratrol and other antioxidants. Some wineries even sell grape skins to pharmaceutical companies. North Carolina wineries employ close to $6,000 people and account for close to a billion of annual sales, catching up with tobacco. Most popular NC wineries get a million visitors a year.
North Carolina Wine TrailIt’s easy to explore North Carolina wineries using the wine trail. A lot of wineries are concentrated together, and could be visited in one day. It’s best to decide which ones you want to visit before you go, since there’s just too much to see and do along the way.Haw River Wine Trail, for example, is conveniently located along I-85/40, and covers Burlington surroundings. Click here to open a pdf of the trail. I was thinking of listing the wineries here for your reference, but then I came across this really neat interactive map of North Carolina wineries with their contact info and website addresses. So I'm sharing this with you now. Featured NC Wines- Shelton 2005 riesling Yadkin Valley ($12)- Clean, soft peach flavors mix with stony mineral.- Raffaldini 2005 vermentino Yadkin Valley ($13)- An apple note amid the citrus, pleasantly tart and refreshing. - RayLen 2004 viognier Yadkin Valley ($13)- Great clarity of the honeysuckle and nectar flavors, with a tightly wound, forceful finish. AttractionsBest times to visit NC are spring or fall. Summers are milder than its Southern neighbors, but hot enough to attract myriads of visitors from up North. Beaches are lovely, and so is the foliage which is abundant.In the winter, the mountains offer great skiing. Cities are your best bet. Stay on the road when you travel through a rural area – there’s plenty of wildlife (and some are quite dangerous), so keep your bonding with nature to a designated picnic area. A few of the most popular attractions include: Elizabethan Gardens
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