The
long tradition of winemaking in North Carolina's began with Sir
Walter Raleigh's colony on Roanoke Island where the first wild
scuppernong (muscadine) vine was cultivated.
Today, the success of North
Carolina wineries is due to the mild climate that provides ideal conditions for a wide variety
of grapes grown across the state, producing more than 500,000
gallons of wine annually.
Winemakers
use both European-types and native muscadines to create quality
wines (like those produced at the Shelton Vineyards, above, in
Yadkin Valley in northwestern North Carolina.)
In all, the state boasts approximately 100 wineries and more than 400 vineyards, which has resulted in a boon to North Carolina wine tourism. Wine lovers throughout the state can take advantage of scenic afternoon trips or weekend getaways in any one of the three officially designated North Carolina wine regions -- Haw River Valley wine trail, Swan Creek vineyards, and Yadkin Valley in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Another popular wine route, the Uwharrie Mountains Wine Trail, is a day-trip from Charlotte beginning at Salisbury, NC and winds its way for more than 40 miles before ending at the top of Stony Mountain.
More information about North Carolina wineries around the Web:
NC Wineries & Vineyards
- Everything you need to know including a complete link list and
map of North Carolina wineries, wine events, grape growing info,
commercial and home winemaking how to's, consumer features, industry
resources and related links.
North Carolina Wine Trails - From the official state tourism site with more than a dozen travel itineraries including the Piedmont region, Yadkin Valley, the Charlotte-Ashville wine trail and more, downloadable in Adobe PDF format.
Blue
Ridge Wine Trail - Take the virtual tour of the Blue Ridge
Parkway on the North Carolina-Virginia border with info on wineries
to visit, scenic drives, restaurant, lodging and music festivals
along the way.