This summer, Wine Enthusiast named North Carolina one of seven up-and-coming wine regions to watch, on the same list as Bolivia. Nicole Chesney, executive director of the North Carolina Wine & Grape Council, makes the case for going there to taste it.
Nicole walks Matt Weiss through a four-day North Carolina wine trip, from the muscadine producers of Johnston County to the Yadkin Valley, Hendersonville near Asheville, and the Tryon Foothills. They get into the grapes that could define the state, from Petit Manseng and Cabernet Franc to hybrids like Chambourcin and Traminette, how soils change from the red clay of the Triangle to the mountains, and the price gap small wineries face against imported European wine. Nicole closes with her North Carolina picks for the Thanksgiving table.
WHAT WE COVER
- A four-day wine itinerary across North Carolina's regions
- The hybrid white Nicole would pour instead of Sauvignon Blanc
- Biltmore and its North Carolina-only wines
- Surry Community College's viticulture and enology program
- How small production shapes what a North Carolina bottle costs
- Wine, cider and sparkling picks for Thanksgiving
NC WINE WINNERS PASS
Pick six award-winning North Carolina wineries, cideries and meaderies to visit between November 2026 and March 2027. Use code CENTRIC10 for 10% off: https://ncwine.org/nc-wine-pass
MENTIONED
Wine Enthusiast, Hinnant Family Vineyards, Duplin Winery, Raffaldini Vineyards, JOLO Winery & Vineyards, Childress Vineyards, Shelton Vineyards, Stony Knoll Vineyards, Haze Gray Vineyards, Piccione Vineyards, Castello Barone, Marked Tree Vineyard, Stone Ashe Vineyards, Souther Williams Vineyard, Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards, Point Lookout Vineyards, Mountain Brook Vineyards, Parker-Binns Vineyard, Overmountain Vineyards, Urban Orchard Cider Co., Barn Door Ciderworks, Biltmore Winery, Stardust Cellar, Jones von Drehle, Sanctuary Vineyards, Shadow Springs Vineyard, Windsor Run Cellars, Dynamis Estate Wines, James Creek Cider House, Botanist and Barrel, Noble Cider, Surry Community College, NC Winegrowers Association, NC State University, Aldo Sohm, Cyril Chappellet.
LINKS
NC Wine & Grape Council: https://www.ncwine.org
Wine Enthusiast, 7 Up-and-Coming Wine Regions: https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/travel/up-and-coming-wine-regions/
Surry Community College Viticulture & Enology: https://surry.edu/wine
GLASVIN
Glasvin is The Preferred Glass of The Wine Centric Show. Use code WINECENTRIC for 10% off (affiliate link): https://tidd.ly/41vgdSQ
FEARRINGTON HOUSE
Fearrington House is the location and hospitality partner of The Wine Centric Show. Fearrington House / Fearrington Eats
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