By Tara Verna | April 2004
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Visit a Winery
- 3: Pick Your Own Grapes
- 4: Frequent Festivals
- 5: Learn More & Winery Listing
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Pick your own
There are also 250 vineyards in the state. Vineyards produce grapes while wineries produce wine from grapes, some of which they may grow in their own vineyards. Some vineyards offer pick-your-own options at grape harvest time in September and October. Thirty-six vineyards in North Carolina grow our nation’s first cultivated wine grape—the scuppernong. These bronze-colored native muscadine grapes were first discovered in the Cape Fear River Valley in 1524. The scuppernong is North Carolina’s state fruit. Purple or black varieties are simply referred to as muscadines.
After picking your own scuppernongs, you can turn them into juice, jelly, butter, ice cream, pies and more. Or savor the juicy grapes raw, using the proper technique. Visit www.ncwine.org/recipe.htm for recipes and to learn how to eat a scuppernong.
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