I am hooked on Duplin Burgundy wine. It’s weird. I like warm red wine, not ice cold sort-of pink wine. After an initial encounter with Duplin’s Scuppernong wine, I was confident that my store bought alcohol days were over. Seeing the word “dry” on the Burgundy label had me intrigued, mainly because it was the over-the-top sweetness of the Scuppernong wine that made me not like it. Dry to me means less sweetness and more of an aged flavor. This turned out to be right, and now I’ve found a 100 mile wine (actually 49 miles) that I can honestly say that I like.

From the Duplin Winery site -

“Burgundy is the driest of our red wines. It is made out of the Noble grape, picked early in the season. Our Burgundy has a great complexity that can be only be achieved with careful bottle aging. This full-bodied dry wine is a perfect complement to red meat and cheese.”

My previous love was Pabst Blue Ribbon, a nice cheap beer that, while Union Made, comes from 1,032 miles away. Oh, Wisconsin and your retro-cool, hipster beer… As for local beers, it turns out we have several breweries here in Wilmington including Front Street Brewery and Azalea Coast Brewery.

I tried the Azalea Coast India Pale Ale recently. I received a $10 coupon for being the first to complete all the required staff trainings at work, so I blew it on some Nature’s Way mozzarella and two bottles of Azalea Coast IPA. In the last few weeks, I have also bought a few growlers of Front Street Brewery IPA and Scottish Ale.

The Scottish Ale is my new favorite. It is dark, a bit heavy and strong.

Back to the wine - North Carolina has many, many wineries and is quickly becoming one of the largest wine producing states in the country. According to their website, Duplin Winery…

“…is the oldest winery in the State of North Carolina. Producing close to 175,000 cases of wine annually, Duplin Winery has become the largest muscadine winery in the world. Founded in 1976, the winery continues to hold fast to its Southern roots, strong religious beliefs and a commitment to family.

Duplin Winery, located in Rose Hill, NC boasts a 5,000 plus square foot Retail Room, complete with a 40 foot tasting bar. We offer banquet facilities, a dinner show theatre, and daily tours and tastings. We have visitors from all over the world that enjoy our Southern Hospitality and savor our sweet wines. We are also the home of the Bistro Restaurant at Duplin Winery.”

I have yet to try any of the other wines from this region, mainly because I have not seen any more with the “dry” label. If I find another I’ll let you know. For now I’ll stick with the Burgundy, the Scottish Ale and work on some of my rice and honey ferments. Chhang anyone?