LEXINGTON, N.C. — Wineries offered an outdoor place to gather during the pandemic, and some wineries are seeing that attendance continue to grow.

 

What You Need To Know

Childress Vineyards has seen 7,000 new visitors this year

Wineries have an $2.06 billion impact on the state

In 2018, 1.8 million people visited wineries in North Carolina

 

The marketing director at Childress Vineyards, Elizabeth Brown, says 7,000 new people have come through the vineyard's bistro already this year.

"People felt comfortable visiting here," Brown said. "And then, 2022 has been a whirlwind."

The North Carolina Wine and Grape Council says this is an industry that brings in over $2 billion to the state.

When Childress Vineyards first started in 2004, it was one of fewer than 30 wineries in the state. Now, there are almost 200.

Mark Friszolowski is the winemaker at Childress Vineyards with more than 40 years of experience. He has seen the differences over the years. 

"It's become more commercial, more industrial," Friszolowski said. "But the big change is as Americans drink more wine, we take a little business away from Italy, away from France, away from Australia. And Americans are drinking American wine — regional wine — North Carolina wine."

The latest numbers from the N.C. Wine and Grape Council show 1.8 million people visited wineries in North Carolina in 2018.