ABSTRACT
North Carolina's wine industry is in the midst of tremendous growth, and this will create opportunities for farmers interested in grape production. Sweet wines were more likely to find their appeal amongst people unfamiliar with wine but with a predilection for sweet beverages. The ease with which muscadine grapes can be grown, and the larger quantity per acre, means that once a market can be established for the product, production volume on a scale much greater than vinifera was possible. Many were looking for a viable way to utilize existing family farms, some of which had been partially devoted to tobacco; others realized a long ambition to start a winery following a professional career and bought farms. Finally, most growers were able to farm essentially organic since there was little or no need for fertilizers, spraying and fungicidal control for the grape given its natural suitability to the climate and region.
