Great Grapes! Wine, Art & Food Festival. Twenty NC wineries... wine pairing and cooking demos... discount for your designated driver. Color me there!
Before prohibition, North Carolina was the nation's top wine producer. During prohibition, many wineries across the country stayed open making grape juice for Holy Communion and stopped fermenting and aging the juice into wine. After prohibition, California fortunately had a handful of wealthy families that were able to jump-start the wine industry in Northern Cali.
North Carolina is now ranked 7th in wine production in the nation, and I would love to see us take back the title. The two vineyards we've visited have been in beautiful settings, and several NC wineries are within weekending, if not day tripping, distance. For $20, you can get to know your NC vineyards and you'll likely find a few diamonds in the rough. Most are available at Total Wine (multiple locations in Charlotte and the surrounding area) for Trader Joe's prices.
Vineyards we've visited:
Shelton Vineyards - stone-fruity Cabernet Franc, balanced sweet/tangy Merlot, sweet but not cloying Port, and red table wine that is not bad for the price
Elkin Creek Vineyard - the soft white is sweet and crisp, but we weren't big fans of the reds
NC wines we've tried:
Old North State Winery - Afternoon Delight
Raffaldini - Cabernet Sauvignon
Duplin Winery - Muscadine (the best I've had in these parts)
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