And the winner is ... North Carolina Fine Wines Society to host awards ceremony

By Jennifer Primrose | February 4, 2018

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"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words." 
– Plautus

The occasion. The North Carolina Fine Wines Awards Gala, taking place on Sat., Feb. 17, 2018 at the Millennium Center in Winston-Salem.

The words. The announcement and awards ceremony of the 2018 winners at this second event hosted by the NC Fine Wines Society.

Now that we have your attention ...

If you are wine lovers like us, and live in the state of North Carolina, perhaps you too have hopped in the car on a Saturday morning and headed out to NC wine country to take in all that this state is producing when it comes to wine. What may come as a surprise to some is that, although North Carolina currently ranks no. 10 in the U.S. with the number of wineries (per statista), the state was actually the largest producer of wines in the country prior to Prohibition.

Fast forward to 2018, North Carolina is now home to five American Viticultural Areas with another on the way. Several wineries are winning awards both in state and out of state in such competitions as the Harvest 2017 Challenge in Sonoma, the International Winemakers Challenge in San Diego and the San Francisco Chronicle's wine competition. Awards such as these have helped put North Carolina on the map as a growing wine industry.

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JOLO Winery wins awards for wine in California Competition 
North Carolina Wines win medals in California Competition

The North Carolina Fine Wines Society sprung onto the scene in 2016 with specific goals in mind. This nonprofit strives to shine light on the quality of wines, such as vinifera and hybrids and to fund scholarships for NC students pursuing careers in Enology, Viticulture and wine related Hospitality and Agritourism programs. This is its way to continue to pave the way for future growth in our state.

In 2017, the first Fine Wines competition took place. This competition features 100 percent North Carolina grown and vinified grapes with only advance level sommeliers judging through blind tastings. The first awards dinner hosted 250 guests all raising a glass to the winemakers and wineries who took home some bling that evening.

This year’s 5-course wine dinner and award ceremony will more than likely feature the cream of the crop once again to tout its muscles, proving they have what it takes to compete with wines from around the World. The menu is the creation of Executive Chef Patrick Rafferty and looks amazing. The wine pairings feature winners from 2017. 

For the menu, click here.  Dress code is "black tie" optional. Tickets are $125 and must be purchased by February 7, 2018. Click here for ticket information.