TNWG Wine Times: Ep 59: Wines of North Carolina, USA

Nope I am not making it up.

Whilst North Carolina might be more known for being the site of the first successful powered flight by the Wright Brothers, a hub for NASCAR, prestigious universities and the state in which a lot of TV series are filmed, it also has a budding wine scene too!

It has wine and actually quite a bit of it. North Caroline covers 54,000 square miles of flat coastal plains and rolling hills of the Piedmont - recognise the name - yes it was named after the Piedmont area in Italy. 

The climate in the state is well suited for winemaking with the surrounding mountains offering protection from the harsh weather to the North. There are 6 recognised AVA's (American Viticultural Areas) and they are the Hawe River Valley AVA, which lies just west of the city of Raleigh, Yadkin Valley AVA and Swan Creek AVA are both covering land in the north western corner of the state and lastly there is the Upper Hiwassee Highlands which is shared with neighbouring Georgia and created in 2014.

More recently a couple of other's have been signed off as AVAs and they are the Appalachian High Country AVA (recognised in 2016) and crosses all of North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, there is also Crest of the Blue Ridge Henderson County AVA and Tryon Foothills AVA (most recently added this September in 2025 in Polk County).

History of North Carolina Winemaking

North Carolina's viticultural history dates back to the late 17th Century - again a similar story to many areas, where European settlers colonised the land and brought with them winemaking skillsets. 

The Civil War in the 1860s didn't do the wine industry any good but once over, the end of the 19th Century saw a push once more into wine producing and winemaking in the region.

According to the NCCBI, there are now over 250 vineyards and 21 wineries in the region and in total producing 500,000 gallons of wine last year which puts it in 10th place for wine production in the US.

 What Grape Varietals do they have in the region?

 Given the climate is similar to that of it's namesake Italian area, it is then no surprise that the European vitis vinifera is dominant and especially in international grape varietals such as:

• Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot

However, there is a localised, indigenous varietal that has claim to fame in the region too and should not be ignored. MUSCADINE 🍇is the local native varietal and with it comes Scuppernong - a well known example and with it a 400 year old Scuppernong plant exists which is believed to be the oldest cultivated grapevine in the world today. 

Muscadine is also known as Vitis Rotundifolia and is found across the south east and south central of the US. Ranging from Florida to New Jersey and from Texas to Oklahoma.

Recommended Wineries to Visit in North Carolina

If you are visiting the region on holiday then be sure to drop into these wineries across the different AVA sections in North Carolina:

Appalachian High Country AVA / Crest of the Blue Ridge AVA / Upper Hiwassee Highlands AVA - try visiting: Burntshirt Vineyards, Banner Elk Winery & Villa, Thistle Meadow Winery, FernCrest Winery, or The Biltmore Winery.

Swan Creek AVA / Haw River Valley AVA - try visiting: Hanover Park Vineyard, Chatham Hill Winery, Childress Vineyards, Grove Winery.

Or if you are over at the Coastal Plains - try visiting: Duplin Winery, Lake Road Winery, Noni Bacca, Huffman Vineyards, Silver Coast Winery.

Tryon Hills AVA - created in September 2025

A new AVA has been formed in as recent times as Sept of this year, after submissions taking place way back in 2021. Tryon Hills AVA is situated slightly east of Crest of Blue Ridge - Henderson County. The new region includes a set of low mountains and rolling hills perched along the eastern edge of the ridge. The topography helping to create a 'thermal belt' of warm, night time temperatures. It is home to 4 wineries and 5 commercial vineyards, covering approximately 78 acres in total of land. 

Hopefully, that has been a quick, informative piece this month on a wine region that also sees many UK visitors a year who holiday over in North Carolina. Give me a shout if you have tried the wines or if you are planning on heading over there in the near future.

Time to go get on to those deliveries, enjoy the rest of your week ahead!

Best Regards

Andy a.k.a. The Northern Wine Guy