Yadkin Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the north-western corner of North Carolina, a state on the east coast of the United States. The AVA covers 1.4 million acres (567,000ha) surrounding the Yadkin Valley in the hilly Piedmont ('foot of the hills') region of the Appalachian mountain range. Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are grown with great success here, along with the native Muscadine and Scuppernong. Aromatic white varieties such as Pinot Gris and Viognier are increasingly popular.
The Yadkin River rises in the Blue Ridge mountains near Mt Airy and runs through the valley on its way to join the larger Pee Dee River. Yadkin Valley's vineyards sit in the hilly land stretching for 100 miles (160km) along the Yadkin River's course. The smaller AVA of Swan Creek sits within the larger Yadkin Valley AVA. (© Proprietary Content, Wine-Searcher.)
The gently undulating topography around the Yadkin lends itself well to vine growing, offering varied aspects and mesoclimates suitable for the production of premium wines. The climate in the hills is largely transitional, being warmer and drier than the areas to the north and west, but cooler than those to the south. Mild winters are followed by a long, warm growing season, and moderate rainfall throughout the year means that irrigation is not usually necessary.
The gravelly and loamy soils in Yadkin Valley are made up of granite and schist, varying in depth across the AVA. Free-draining and low in fertility, these soils are stressful for the vines, lessening vigor and concentrating flavors in the grapes. These deep, dry soils are also important for vine strength, because the plants are forced to grow deep root systems in search of water.
Grapes have been grown in North Carolina since the American Civil War of the 1860s, with the inevitable hiatus during the nationwide period of Prohibition in the 1920s to early 1930s. The modern discovery of the Yadkin Valley as an area of great viticultural potential was the result of the declining fortunes of tobacco – formerly the region's main crop. A similar story lies behind the creation of the very largest AVA in the US, the colossal Upper Mississippi Valley. Yadkin Valley was delimited as an AVA in 2003, the first of North Carolina's three sub-AVAs.
