FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NC Winegrowers Association 

Contact:  Angela Owens 

336-813-6688 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 
Post Office Box 2495   
Yadkinville, NC  27055                

February 11, 2011  

New Board Members Elected to North Carolina Winegrowers Association  

Greensboro, NC - The NC Winegrowers Association announced their new board members at the 18th Annual Meeting & Conference.  Nearly 300 attendees were present, including vendors and presenters from across the United States.  The conference was held from February 4 - 6 at the Greensboro Airport Marriott.  

“I’m charged to be back on the NC Winegrowers Association board.  We are stacked with talent and energy, bringing fresh innovation and creative ideas to the table,” says newly-elected President Steve Shepard of RayLen Vineyards & Winery.  “I have a lot of plans for the duration of my two-year term.”  

New officers named for the 2011 term are as follows:  Vice President - Patricia McRitchie, McRitchie Wine Company; Secretary - Murphy Moore, Shelton Vineyards; and, Treasurer - Mark Frisolowski, Childress Vineyards.  

New  Directors-at-Large  named  for  the  2011  term  include  Dennis  Wynne  of  Biltmore  Vineyards; Thomas Hughes of Divine Llama Vineyards; Betty Fowler of Lake James Cellars; and, Ken Gulaian of Round Peak Vineyards.  

NCWA members serve two years as board members, collectively working to continue improving the quality of North Carolina regional wines through education and outreach.  North Carolina is now home to 100 wineries with the opening of Cauble Creek Vineyards this past January.  The grape and wine industry in North Carolina is now approaching the $1 billion mark with the economic impact on the  
state.  To date, North Carolina is home to three AVAs, which include the Yadkin Valley, Swan Creek, and the Haw River.    

“There are three state colleges and universities (Surry County Community College; NCSU; and, ASU) who  are  all  working  in  symmetry  with  the  growers  and  wineries.    A  new  generation of wines  will emerge from North Carolina’s winegrowing regions.”  

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The North Carolina Winegrower's Association was formed in 1993, primarily through the efforts of people like Steve Shepard, then at Westbend Vineyards and Earl Mitchell, Professor of Physics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The focus of the group was then, and remains today, the open interchange of information among both professional and amateur winemakers, with a focus on  
education, research, and professional development.