By Rick VanSickle

North Carolina is a world-renowned golf haven. Who could ever forget Payne Stewart's dramatic 18th hole putt in the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2? But what a lot of visitors are just starting to realize is that the state has a rich history in the making of wine — a past that many people in the state are trying to recapture after decades of neglect.

The wine industry in North Carolina dates back to the 17th century and was the leading wine-producing state by the mid-19th century. The very first commercial winery, Medoc Vineyard in Halifax County, opened in 1835 and specialized in the native Scuppernong, a variety of the Muscadine grape that was made into a super sweet wine preferred at the time by local travellers and Southerners.

But while California was emerging at the time as the newest hotspot for wine making, it was Prohibition that ultimately killed the wine industry in North Carolina. The eradication of alcohol was particularly striking in southern states where it was viewed as a vice that needed to be wiped off the face of the earth.

No one knows what would have happened if Prohibition was somehow avoided in North America. The wine-producing power just may have been from eastern states such as North Carolina. We will never know but one thing is certain — there's a renewed resolve to bring wine back to its glory days in North Carolina.

The state's modern wine industry is relatively young, ranking 10th in both grape and wine production in the United States. North Carolina is home to 350 vineyards and more than 70 wineries in 30 different counties and growing almost daily.

The native plantings of the past are, for the most part, fading from memory as modern wineries plant "noble" (vinifera) grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot and Viognier as producers get down to the serious business of making wine that people want to buy and growing grapes that will do well in the North Carolina climate.

The burgeoning wine industry has been buoyed by star power from an unlikely source. One of the most famous wineries, Childress Vineyards, is owned by NASCAR racing magnate Richard Childress. He got into the wine game in 2004 and has been adding to his growing empire each year. The Tuscan-style winery is located in the bustling Lexington region, nestled at the gateway of the Yadkin Valley. Childress Vineyards is planted on 65 acres of fertile farmland and the owner's goal is to simply "create some of the finest wines in the country ... in one of America's most exciting grape-growing regions." Childress, along with many of the new wineries in North Carolina, are poised to become a major wine-sports destination, and whether it's golf or car racing that gets your juices going, incorporating wine can only add to the overall experience. The 35,000-square-foot wine tasting room (named one of the Top 25 Tasting Rooms in America by Wine Enthusiast magazine this past May) and facility at Childress, with its ornate terra cotta roof, is inspired by the architecture of rural Tuscany. And it's not just all show — the wines have been met with commercial and critical success in competitions from New York to California. Some of the award-winning wines include Chardonnay, Merlot, Meritage (a red blend), Gewurztraminer and specialty dessert wines. Another award-winning wine destination is the Biltmore Winery in Asheville, located at America's largest home, Biltmore House, a 250-room family home and country retreat built by George Washington Vanderbilt as a country retreat for family and friends. It's now a national historic landmark with an extraordinary winery called the most visited in the U.S. with approximately one million visitors who stop by each year to sip award-winning red, white, rose and sparkling wines. Vineyards and tasting rooms are sprinkled throughout North Carolina but, for the most part, are concentrated inland in the northwest portion of the state. The wine industry is divided by five major appellations.

Childress Bottles The tasting room at Childress Biltmore Winery The harvest at RayLen

• Mountain Region — This area stretches from the southern border of Virginia to the northern border of Georgia. Wineries in this area prefer to grow grapes that do well in higher elevations.

• Yadkin Valley — Located in northeastern North Carolina, the Yadkin Valley region encompasses 1.4 million acres.

• Piedmont Region — One of the most famous and vibrant regions, it's also the fastest-growing area in North Carolina. It's located east of Winston-Salem, bordered by Virginia on the north and extending well into the central part of the state.

• Sandhill-Coastal Region — An area of unique micro-climates, this region offers some of the most varied growing conditions in the state.

• Swan Creek Region — Located in northwestern North Carolina, its proximity to the Brushy Mountains gives Swan Creek a distinct, loamy soil and micro-climate that make wines made here quite unique.

While North Carolina wines cannot be defined by one varietal or style — at least yet — it is finding success in the Bordeaux-style blends that feature Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Rielsing is also doing well as are the Chardonnays that are generally blended in rich, oak barrels, providing a nice spicy note.

I was impressed with a Biltmore Estate Chateau Reserve Chardonnay 2006 ($20). With a charred-oak and creamy-buttery nose that opens up to opulent tropical fruits and notes of pear, it's a big style that is not unlike Sonoma or Napa Valley Chardonnays. It's a very nice wine in the mouth, loaded with vibrant fruit on an elegant frame of toasty oak.

Also impressive was the Childress Vineyards Barrel Select Pinnacle Meritage ($15). This is a blend of mostly Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and shows nice blackberry and cedar aromas with plenty of bright, vivid fruit. It's a medium-weight red blend with decent cherry, plum, cedar and herb flavours with firm tannins. A perfect red with a nice hunk of grilled red meat.

For more on North Carolina wine visit: www.visitnc.com/what_to_do_wine.asp?s=fw

For a complete listing of NC wineries, visit www.ncwinegrowers.com