When it Comes to Stateside Sips, Think Beyond Napa and Sonoma. Tantalize your Clients’ Taste Buds with Promises of Fine Wines from Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Beyond…
North Carolina Tourism
By Josephine Matyas
Across the spectrum of US wine destinations, California’s Napa and Sonoma certainly grab the most attention, but no matter what part of the country your clients are heading to, they’re sure to find vineyards, tasting rooms and wineries aplenty.
For example, Arizona has three main wine trails, including the Willcox Wine Country in the southeast. Since 2005, seven tasting rooms have opened to showcase the wines of the foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains. Swing by Coronado Vineyards, which showcases a broad variety of vinos in its wine and tapas lounge.
In Florida, Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards sits on the gently rolling hills just 40 kilometres west of Orlando. This is Florida’s largest premium winery, producing more than one million bottles of table and sparkling wines each year. Complimentary winery tours and wine tastings are offered daily.
According to historians, the St Augustine area is the birthplace of American wine, dating back to 1562. Today, the San Sebastian Winery remains a pioneer in the development of table, sparkling and dessert wines, as well as port and cream sherry dessert wines.
You could say that wine flows through Mount Airy in North Carolina. Mount Airy and Surry County are home to almost 20 wineries. Choice stops on the ‘Very Surry Wine Excursion’ include McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks, the new JOLO Vineyards at scenic Pilot Mountain and Shelton Vineyards, a destination-winery where lodging is available right on the estate.
North Carolina Tourism
This October, Texas Hill Country is toasting its great wineries with a month-long celebration. There are 42 stunning wineries scattered throughout Hill Country - and each has its own unique style of winemaking. Self-guided driving tours feature special tastings of newly-released wines, demonstrations, tours and a chance to talk with the winemakers.
October is the best time of year to visit Virginia wine country, when the vineyards and wineries celebrate Virginia Wine Month. The state is home to more than 250 wineries and vineyards, seven American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) and nearly two-dozen wine trails.
And at Barboursville Vineyards, history intersects with the love of wine-making.The facility was built around the ruins of Barboursville, a mansion designed by Thomas Jefferson in the 1800s. Destroyed by fire, these impressive ruins now watch over the picturesque vineyards of one of Virginia's finest wineries.