Wine 101

Award winning wines at Hanover Park Winery.

The very first wine I ever had was Boone's Farm. Go ahead, you can laugh! After only consuming Strawberry Hill and the like, my first job as a wine reporter for a small newspaper was very enlightening. As a reporter in a small town you have to be a jack (jill?) of all trades. From house fires to car accidents and the annual gingerbread house contest, I photographed and wrote about it all. Reporting on wineries and new bed and breakfasts, where they fed the reporter during the interview, were certainly the best perks of the job.

Having a job where tasting wine was a requirement made a huge impact on my life. I am now an oenophile and a big proponent of this growing industry in my community. The Yadkin Valley Wine region in North Carolina is still very young, but it is continuing to grow and mature. There are currently 17 wineries in the Yadkin Valley region and a total of 112 wineries in the entire state. (My goal: Visit them all!)

Many farms that produced tobacco for years are now growing grapes and many people in the bible belt who used to think drinking wine was a sin are now enjoying a glass with their evening meal! For me, it wasn't exactly something I took to right away. Sure, the sweet wines were one thing, but sampling those dry reds for the first time wasn't always a enjoyable. When you visit our local wineries, they will begrudgingly tell you that their sweetest wine is their biggest seller. I say there is no reason to be ashamed of that. The locals (and even some visitors from exotic metropolises like Charlotte) are still growing into this wine thing too! Believe me, I drank a lot of muscadine wine before I was brave enough to drink more than a sip of a merlot or cabernet. 

Bottom line, I say drink what you like, but don't be afraid to try new things. As I continue to visit my favorites and some of the 112 NC wineries I have yet to explore, I will share my thoughts with you here. Please come back and visit soon. 

Whether you are an NC native looking for a relaxing weekend or planning a visit to our great state to sample the wines, be sure to check out www.visitncwine.com. 

Cheers!