We rate the wineries of North Carolina, on a scale of one to five stars. We also rate the wines, but that is later in the text of the review, on a simple scale of poor to excellent. We do not rate sweet wines, nor do we rate wineries that sell only sweet wines.
Factors that we include in the winery rating are: 1) quality of the wine, 2) quality of the tasting (including knowledgeability of staff), 3) whether there is a great terrace with a great view to enjoy a glass of wine, 4) good shopping in the gift shop, 5) a good restaurant or hotel on or adjacent to the property, and 6) the value of the wine- whether it is a good price for the quality you receive. We purposely don’t use traditional wine terms, such as finish, bouquet, or fruit forward, because we don’t view our purpose as simply rating wines. Our purpose is to rate the whole winery experience, not just the wines.
Most of these wineries are located at the farm where at least some of the grapes are grown, and it is the experience of going to that great setting, and sometimes talking to the farmer or his family and understanding the love they have for their craft, that makes winery exploring such a great experience.
And thank you, and have fun exploring with the NC Winery Explorer!