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North Carolina is fast becoming recognized in the wine industry, with more than 350 vineyards and around 65 wineries pressing grapes into award-winning wines. The state now ranks 10th nationwide in both grape and wine production. New wineries open at the rate of about one a month.
The Yadkin Valley, North Carolina's first AVA (American Viticulture Area), is located in the northwestern part of the state. This true river valley, with numerous vineyards and wineries, has a unique blend of climate and ancient soils that are producing world-class wines. Tasting tours are can be found throughout the region.
The most visited winery in the United States is the Biltmore Estate Wine Company on the property of Biltmore Estate in Asheville, receiving more than one million visitors annually. In late 2004, NASCAR legend Richard Childress opened a winery near Lexington, a Tuscan-themed complex with vineyards, a production facility and gift shop.
North Carolina is the home of the nation's first cultivated wine grape, the scuppernong. Although these grapes thrive across the southeastern states, only North Carolina can claim the original native scuppernong as its own. The first account of these grapes occurs in the logbook of Giovanni de Verrazano, explorer and navigator in the French maritime service, who discovered them in the Cape Fear River Valley in 1524. He wrote that he saw many vines growing naturally that “without a doubt would yield excellent wines.”
Aside from scuppernongs, many old-world European varieties such as Merlot, Chardonnay and Shiraz thrive in North Carolina. In fact, 65 percent of the wines produced in North Carolina are made from these European grapes. Sweet or dry, red or white, North Carolina produces a wine for every taste.
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