North Carolina’s newest cash crop
Upstart wineries populate the Tarheel state, generating tourism
11:15 a.m. Monday, November 27, 2006
Frank Hobson's family has farmed tobacco for as long as he can remember.
The leafy plants thrive in North Carolina's rich clay and used to provide a reliable payday at harvest.
But the war on smoking -- lawsuits, new laws, and higher taxes -- have left farmers like Frank searching for alternatives.
Six years ago, the Boonville, North Carolina, resident decided on grapes.
"Tobacco usage is going away more and more, people smoking less," Frank said. "And drinking more!" he laughed.
North Carolina farmland, especially in the Yadkin Valley outside Winston-Salem, is ideal for growing French wine grapes.
Now, upstart North Carolina wineries are winning awards domestically and even holding their own against some of the world's best wines, though they still have a ways to go.
"Even a wider variety than what we experienced in Napa, and there's some good wines and some that are okay," said one taster.
The number of wineries in North Carolina has tripled in the last six years, bringing in tourists from all around the world. Entrepreneurs have jumped in
to meet demand for fine dining and lodging.
Hosting wine tourists has prompted a bit of a culture change as well in this picturesque section of the Bible Belt, known for being the real Mayberry.
Locals voted to kill dry laws, when they realized the wine industry pumped $317 million into North Carolina's economy last year.
"It's good for the state on a lot of different levels, tax revenue, tourism revenue, but especially the impact it makes for those small, rural communities that we have across our state," said North Carolina Wine and Grape Council Member Margo Knight.
As Frank and his wife, Lenna, point out, no one ever traveled here to look at their tobacco fields.
"The winemaker should be very pleased," Frank said.
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