Abstract
T he Yadkin Valley of North Carolina is in a period of transition. Tobacco has been the most important crop, and the tourism to the region focused on Mt. Airy, inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry. Local officials are promoting wine tourism as a tactic to update these industries. Through qualitative fieldwork utilizing in-depth interviews with Yadkin Valley winemakers, tourism officials, business leaders, and a Baptist preacher, this project reveals the numerous geographies of wine evolving together as the industry grows in this region. The paper discusses the physical environment suitable for producing high-quality wines from European grape styles and the development of winemaking and grape growing skills by former tobacco farmers. It also examines the scalar components of Yadkin wine marketing, as most of the focus is on customers traveling through the region and not on local customers. Finally, the paper explores the backlash against the emergence of the wine industry by several, highly-vocal, members of the community. Each of these geographies evolve simultaneously as the nascent industry tries to find its footing as an increasingly important component of the region’s economic future.
Recommended Citation
Massey, Aron
(2022)
"From Mayberry to Merlot: Shifting Geographies of Wine in the Yadkin Valley, North Carolina,"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 63:
Iss.
2, Article 12.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol63/iss2/12