COVID has wreaked havoc on conferences since 2020, but this year’s conference of the NC Winegrower’s Association, held in Winston-Salem Feb. 2-4, felt like a return to normal for the state’s wine industry. One grower described it as high-energy, adding, “it felt more like a reunion than a conference.”
From the sessions that Tarheel Taps & Corks attended, there were three takeaways about the state of North Carolina wine.
More North Carolinians are visiting our state wineries
Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, tourists have tended to stay closer to home. That may be why a survey of winery guests found an increase in the number of North Carolina residents visiting state wineries last year.
UNCG faculty Erick Byrd and Sam Troy, with help from their students, are working on results of a 2022 tasting room survey. Students collected nearly 600 surveys of guests at 22 wineries across North Carolina last summer. The when the study is complete, it will include recommendations for winery tasting rooms.
The survey included questions about where guests came from and who they traveled with, what attracted them to a winery, what their wine-consumption habits were and what they planned to purchase while visiting.
Since the last tasting room survey conducted in 2012, the percentage of winery guests from North Carolina has increased, likely due to the pandemic. But another possible reason for the increase is that local consumers have a greater awareness of North Carolina wine than in the past.
The survey also found:
- On average, guests visited 1-2 number of wineries per trip
- Nearly 70% of guests planned to buy one or more bottles of wine during their visit
- Guests’ preference for red wines increased dramatically from 2012 to 2022, while their preference for white wines remained about the same
- Word of mouth recommendations were the most important factor driving guests’ choice of which wineries to visit
- Access to food at the winery or close by or the chance to bring food in were all important features to winery guests
Once the survey results are finalized, the researchers will make recommendations on strategies wineries can take to attract more guests and improve their guests’ winery experience.
The wine glass you use makes a difference
Of course I have known about Riedel’s fine crystal wine glasses, but had never experienced how the same wine can taste differently depending on the glass you drink it from. The 265-year-old crystal company based in Austria made it their business to create the right glass for the right wine.
Riedel representative Susan Dubrow guided us through tasting four different wines in five different glasses: Extreme Restaurant Rose, Riedel Restaurant (designed for Sauvignon Blanc), Riedel Performance Restaurant (designed for Pinot Noir and Chambourcin), Degustazione Red, and stemless Riedel O Restaurant for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cab Franc.
We “played with” our wine, pouring small amounts into different glasses, then tasting the wine to discover the result. To me, the greatest taste difference was for the Jolo Vineyards Rose, which we tasted from three different glasses.
From the Extreme Rose (Glass 1), the Rose filled the whole pallet – the acid and sweetness of the fruit were both , strong. From the Restaurant (Glass 2), the wine was less acid. And from the Degustazione (Glass 4), the wine was more tart. Finally, we tasted the wine from the plastic cup it was poured in, and it fell flat, screaming of acid. (Never drink wine in a plastic cup again!)
We continued to experiment with the glasses, pouring a Shelton Sauvignon Blanc, a Hanover Park Chambourcin and a Shadow Springs Cab Franc. The taste of each wine varied with the glass we drank it from.
As a bonus, we got to bring home our tasting glasses in a big black Riedel bag, each wrapped in red tissue paper. Can’t wait to try my own tastings with these glasses.
Sparkling wine production is growing in North Carolina
A few years ago, it was hard to find a sparkling wine produced in North Carolina, let alone a good one. But today, quite a few wineries are producing their own sparkling wine, using different methods.
At the final session of the conference, Ed Williams of the Greensboro News & Record introduced three of the sparkling wines produced here and gave winemakers a chance to share their production processes. By show of hands, a number of the wineries represented in the room indicated that they produce a sparkling wine.
Two of the sparkling wines – Childress Blanc de Blancs Brut and Biltmore Chateau Reserve – are made by the traditional method. The Shelton Sparkling Riesling is made using the tank method, with added carbonation.
Making a sparkling wine by any method is challenging. Biltmore winemaker Sharon Fenchak told the group that sparkling season is, “the most stressful time of the year.” And Childress winemaker Mark Friszolowski said, “you can’t make a mistake with sparkling.”
And we are so glad that they are taking a chance on sparkling.
New officers elected
For the first time, the Winegrower’s Association will be led by two women, Hailey Klepcyk of Piccione Vineyards, president; and Becky Muhlenburg of Haze Gray Vineyards, vice president. Justin Johnson of Shadow Springs Vineyard will be treasurer, and Chuck Johnson, also of Shadow Springs Vineyard, will be secretary.
Award winners
Awards were presented in the following categories:
- Bunch grapes wine, Shadow Springs Vineyard, 2019 Petit Verdot
- Muscadine grapes wine, Cypress Bend, Autumn
- Meade, Honey Girl Meadery, Strawberry Honey
- Grower of the Year (selected by NC State University’s Mark Hoffman), Philip Oglesby, Biltmore Vineyard Supervisor
- Member of Distinction, Julia Kiger, Childress Vineyards
- President’s Award, Justin Johnson, Shadow Springs Vineyard
A few other highlights
- The food and wine pairings known as “Taste of NC” continued in Winston-Salem, as part of the conference. There were so many pairings I didn’t get around to trying them all. The good news is that these events will continue across the state this year, in Wilmington, the Triangle area and Charlotte.
- The speakers for the individual sessions were all very good, with most representing North Carolina wineries or some other area of the wine industry.
- Winegrowers can dance! The closing dinner on Saturday night wrapped up with a DJ and dancing, a real experience.
Tarheel Taps & Corks 