Wine Wave
I just got the 2010 Guide and Map to North Carolina Wineries put out by the N.C. Wine and Grape Council (www.visitncwine.com).
It lists 89 current wineries. Actually, it lists 90, but I’ve learned that one, J. Wesley Vineyards in Cumberland County, has closed.
Still, 89 wineries is more than twice the number listed in the 2005 guide. And it’s more than quadruple in the state in the fall of 2001, when I wrote my first story about the state’s winer industry.
Interestingly, 30 of the current wineries are in the Yadkin Valley AVA and its subregion, the Swan Creek AVA. In other words, Winston-Salem, being the largest city in the Yadkin Valley, is essentially the hub of the N.C. wine industry.
A free copy of the new guide is available by calling 877-3NC-WINE, or 877-362-9463.
A couple of the newer ones that I have yet to check out are Brandon Hills in Yadkinville and Divine Llama in East Bend.
I’m always on the lookout for a new place or a good wine to try. If you’ve visited any wineries lately and been impressed, let me know.
What are you drinking these days?
