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. Along the way, she explains which grapes could define the state, from Petit Manseng and Cabernet Franc to hybrids like Chambourcin and Traminette, and names the hybrid white she would pour over Sauvignon Blanc.
They also get into Biltmore and its North Carolina-only wines, the viticulture and enology program at Surry Community College, and how the soils shift from the red clay of the Triangle to the mountains. Nicole explains how small production makes a North Carolina bottle cost more than an imported European one, then closes with her North Carolina wine, cider and sparkling picks for the Thanksgiving table.
LISTEN:
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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
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KEYWORDS:
north carolina wine, nc wine, up and coming wine regions, wine enthusiast, yadkin valley, blue ridge mountains wine, asheville wineries, hendersonville wineries, tryon foothills, north carolina wineries, muscadine wine, hybrid grapes, chambourcin, traminette, petit manseng, cabernet franc, biltmore winery, surry community college, wine travel, east coast wine, thanksgiving wine, nicole chesney, nc wine and grape council, the wine centric show, matt weiss
