Winebits 198: Regional wine notes

• North Carolina wines produce: Money and jobs for the state, that is, to the tune of a $1.28 billion impact, reports the Winston-Salem Journal. The Wine Curmudgeon, during his years in the newspaper business, was sceptical of economic impact studies. But having seen Fredericksburg, the heart of the Texas Hill Country's wine region, before and after the growth of Texas' wine industry, I'm more inclined to believe the studies. When I started going to Fredericksburg in the early 1990s, there was one motel. Today, there are a dozen, and more bed and breakfasts than it's possible to imagine. Fredericksburg was always a pleasant tourist town, focusing on its German heritage. Now it's a tourist town, where restaurant prices are on par with any big city in the state.

• What legislators don't understand: Too many state and local officials don't see the economic impact of wine (like my pals at the Texas legislature). So they should read this: A winery in Cody, Wyoming, is opening in a location that used be a company that made metal fastenings. This is the kind of thing that those of us who believe in regional wine keep insisting is going to happen as the world we live in changes economically and culturally. Because if it can happen in Cody, Wyoming, imagine what a little support could do in places like Texas and Virginia.

• New Georgia winery: And its owner wants it to be part of the local food movement: "My goal is to have a glass of wine, fresh bread from [the local bakery] and fresh sausage from [the local butcher] all in one place." This is refreshing to see. Too often, local wine is seen as the step-child of local food, as not quite good enough for all those tomatoes and pork.

Comments

[bburnsey]

I am sure a large part of the economic impact in North Carolina is due to Biltmore's Winery, which nicely dovetails on the estate house to make it the most visited winery in America.

[Jeff Siegel]

Very true, Brian. But whatever you do, don't tell the Texas legislature. We wouldn't want them to get any ideas about wine as tourism.