100 Wineries... And Counting!

It's official! North Carolina is now home to 100 wineries.

Governor Beverly Perdue announced the state's viticultural accomplishment Thursday at Cauble Creek Vineyard in Salisbury, which became the NC's 100th winery late last year.

“Our wineries and vineyards provide a compelling reason to visit our state and they are a significant economic engine,” said Perdue as she helped cut a symbolic ribbon to mark the milestone.

The growth in the number of wineries and vineyards in North Carolina over the past 30 years has been phenomenal. After opening its first handful of wineries in the 1970's, the state boasted 50 in 2005. Five years later, that number has doubled.

Award-winning wines are now produced across the state. Duplin Winery in Rose Hill is now the largest muscadine winery in the world, while Biltmore's winery is the most visited in the nation, with more than a million visitors annually. And the oldest known cultivated grapevine in the New World, the 400-year-old Mother Vine, is still going strong on Roanoke Island.

For more information on North Carolina's wineries and vineyards, check out VisitNCWine.com.

Cheers!