Haw River Valley Designated as U.S. Prime Grape Growing Region

ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. - The Piedmont's Haw River Valley has earned a special status by being recognized as one of the nation's officially designated grape growing regions.

The Tax & Trade Bureau is a branch of the federal government that regulates wine and other alcoholic beverages.

After a long application process, the TTB recently designated the Haw River Valley as an American Vitacultural Area.

"This is very exciting," said Nancy Zeman with Benjamin Vineyards and Winery in Alamance County. "We're the third AVA in North Carolina and I think it brings a lot of recognition to this part of the state."

The Haw River Valley includes Alamance County and part of all its surrounding counties. It's been given the designation certifying the area has features including climate, soil, topography, and elevation that make it a unique grape growing region.

Owners of Irongate Vineyards, the area's first winery, are also juiced about literally being put on a prestigious map that includes Napa Valley and Sonoma, California.

"This gives us the credibility we didn't have before," said Debbie Stikeleather, Iron Gate Vineyards and Winery. "This is official, this is real. (It's) something we can put on our labels especially the one's of us who market our wines in grocery stores where you're fighting for shelf space."

The other AVA's in North Carolina are the Yadkin Valley and Swan Creek.