The Yadkin Valley AVA is an

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about th ...

that includes land in seven

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

of northwestern

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

. The AVA encompasses an area of approximately in the Yadkin River valley. The Yadkin Valley AVA includes all of Wilkes, Surry, and Yadkin counties, and parts of Davie, Davidson,

Forsyth Forsyth may refer to: Places Oceania * Forsyth Island, Queensland, Australia, one of the West Wellesley Islands (aka Forsyth Islands) * Forsyth Island, Tasmania, Australia * Forsyth Island (New Zealand), in the outer Marlborough Sounds of South Isl ...

, and Stokes counties. Yadkin Valley is home to 45 wineries.

History

For decades, the area was a key

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ch ...

-growing region. However, as tobacco farming and cigarette manufacturing in the area declined, some

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

s, including tobacco farmers, have turned to winemaking. The native grapes of this region of the southeastern United States include '' Vitis cordifolia'', ''

Vitis labrusca ''Vitis labrusca'', the fox grape, is a species of grapevines belonging to the '' Vitis'' genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to eastern North America and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawb ...

'', '' Vitis aestivalis'', ''

Vitis cinerea ''Vitis cinerea'', the graybark grape, is a variety of grape. It has small black berries that are mildly unpleasant to eat. Plentiful in Missouri and Louisiana, it is also found throughout the eastern half of the US as far west as Texas, north ...

'', and '' Vitis rotundifolia'' (muscadine and scuppernong). Early attempts to grow the European wine grape, ''

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern ...

'', in the southeastern United States, including 18th century efforts by

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the nati ...

at Monticello,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

, had mixed success. But in the past two to three decades, viticultural research has helped these grapes to survive the

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologica ...

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former ...

, and pests of the region. Additionally, Surry Community College, located in Dobson, North Carolina, has served as a valuable community resource for this growing industry by offering certificate and degree programs in

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

and

enology Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

. In 2005, Davidson County Community College formed a partnership with Surry Community College for the delivery of the viticulture and enology program/certifications in Davidson and Davie counties. In 2003, in an effort led by Charlie and Ed Shelton of Shelton Vineyards, the United States'

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as the ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and preven ...

approved the new

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

for the region with the name Yadkin Valley AVA, allowing winemakers to bottle

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...

s with a label indicating that the wine came from the Yadkin Valley. In 2005, there were 14 wineries and of

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vine ...

s in the region. By 2013, there were 38 wineries operating in the Yadkin Valley. As of December 13, 2022, there were 45 wineries making wine in the Yadkin Valley.

Geography

The Yadkin Valley area is in the

piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and foothills of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the world, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsy ...

. One of the most recognizable landmarks in the AVA is Pilot Mountain. The

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

is mostly 7a and 7b, with 6b in some higher areas.

Travel

Decanter Magazine
' published a story about the Yadkin Valley region in October 2021. ''Southern Living'' Magazine published a feature story about the Yadkin Valley region in November 2007.

Local wine festivals

The Yadkin Valley Wine Festival is traditionally held the third Saturday in May at the Municipal Park in Elkin. The Yadkin Valley Grape Festival is held the third Saturday in October in Yadkinville. Prior to 2005, these wineries also participated in the

North Carolina Wine Festival The North Carolina Wine Festival is one of several annual events showcasing vineyards from all across the state of North Carolina. It is the largest one-day wine festival in the state. It began in 2001 as a way to showcase the over 100 different w ...

. The Budbreak Wine and Craft Beer Festival is usually held in downtown Mount Airy, North Carolina on the first Saturday in May. *

Yadkin Valley Wine Festival The Yadkin Valley Wine Festival is an annual wine festival held on the third Saturday of May at Elkin Municipal Park in Elkin, North Carolina. Vineyards in the Yadkin Valley AVA are exclusively featured in this one-day festival. Thirty wineries a ...

Wineries

Adagio Vineyards

Brandon Hills VineyardCarolina Heritage

Cellar 4201
*

Childress Vineyards Childress Vineyards is a winery in Lexington, North Carolina owned by NASCAR Cup Series championship team owner Richard Childress. The connection between NASCAR and fine wine is reflected in the labeling of some of the wines produced by Childres ...

Curran AlexanderDivine LlamaDobbins Creek VineyardsDynamis Estate Wines

Elkin Creek VineyardFlint Hill

Golden Road Vineyards

Grassy Creek Vineyard & WineryHanover Park

Haze Gray VineyardsHerrera Vineyards

Hidden Vineyard

JOLO Winery & Vineyards

Jones von Drehle VineyardsJunius Lindsay

Laurel Gray Vineyards

Lazy Elm VineyardsMcRitchie Winery & CiderworksMedaloni CellarsMenaRick Vineyards

Midnight Magdalena VineyardsNative Vines Winery

Old North State WineryPiccione VineyardsPilot Mountain Vineyards
* Raffaldini Vineyards
RagApple Lassie Winery

RayLen Winery and Vineyards

Roaring River VineyardsRound PeakSanders Ridge WinerySerre Vineyards

Shadow Springs Vineyard

Shelton VineyardsSlightly Askew Winery

Stardust Cellars

Stony Knoll VineyardsSurry CellarsWeathervane Winery

Windsor Run Cellars

References

External links