

The region is most known for bold, fruit-forward red and white wines. Today, Australia is diversifying its grape varieties and wine styles and there are also an increasing number of small producers.Ĭalifornia produces the vast majority of US wine. Shiraz is often made in a way that’s richer and darker than most Syrah so the new name changed people’s perception of the wine. Today you’ll find excellent Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Torrontés in Argentina.Īs a new world wine region, with 2,700 miles of coastline along the frigid Pacific Ocean, Chile produces wines that are both fruit-forward and herbaceous.Īustralia renamed Syrah to Shiraz in the 1980’s in order to differentiate themselves from the US and France. Spain produces a diverse range of wine styles from the refreshing sparkling Cava that come from around Barcelona to the nutty and sweet dessert wines from Andalucía in the South.ĭespite the fact that South America is considered a New World wine region, winemaking has been happening in South America since the 1500’s. It is perhaps most famous for its red wines of Rioja using the countries champion Tempranillo grape. Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world. Shop Nowįrance inspired a world of wine with their popular grape varieties like Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir.
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In the past 10 to 15 years, vineyard plantings have almost quadrupled.Get the Wine 101 Course ($100 value) FREE with the purchase of Wine Folly: Magnum Edition. There are now more than 100 wineries making wine from North Carolina grapes. It was not until the American wine renaissance of the 1970s that the industry in North Carolina was rejuvenated. Unfortunately, North Carolina's move in 1909 to ban the manufacture and sale of alcohol – 10 years before Prohibition came into force nationwide – led many vineyard owners to pull out their vines in favor of tobacco and soybeans. However at the end of the 19th Century, farmers were encouraged to plant grapes for winemaking to stimulate the economy, which was still depressed following the conflict.īy the turn of the century, the state's wine industry was flourishing, attracting attention and awards from as far afield as Paris. The Civil War in the 1860s had an adverse effect on the wine industry of North Carolina. The initial attempts at viticulture were driven by the desire of these settlers to recreate the wines they knew from their homelands. North Carolina's viticultural history dates back to the late 17th Century when the land was first colonized by Europeans. It is the newest of the four, created in 2014. Rather than being located in the Piedmont, the zone includes much of the southern two thirds of the state's Appalchian mountain region. The fourth AVA is Upper Hiwassee Highlands, which is shared with Georgia. Haw River Valley lies just west of the city of Raleigh, while Yadkin Valley and Swan Creek both cover land in the north-western corner of the state. (The humid environment closer to the coast is better suited to the thick-skinned Muscadine grapes.) Three of the state's four AVAs are also located here. Most of North Carolina's premium vineyards can be found in the Piedmont hills. The rolling topography of the region offers various mesoclimates and a longer growing season than the areas to the north and west enjoy. The climate in North Carolina's hilly regions is well suited to viticulture, with the surrounding mountains offering protection from harsh weather from the north. North Carolina covers roughly 54,000 square miles (140,000 sq km) of flat coastal plains and the rolling hills of the Piedmont ('foot of the hills') region of the eastern US, named for the Piemonte region of northern Italy. Roanoke Island on North Carolina's east coast is home to a 400-year-old Scuppernong plant that is thought to be the oldest cultivated grapevine in the world. Examples include Scuppernong, a (relatively) prominent member of the Muscadine family that takes its name from the Scuppernong River that flows through the state.

However Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) grape varieties are native to the region. The best North Carolina wines are made from Vitis vinifera grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Riesling. The transitional climate here is well suited to growing grapes for wine production, and the state has a long, illustrious viticultural history. North Carolina is a state on the east coast of the US, between the Appalachian Mountains in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east.
