The Scuppernong
Goes Commercial
Historically the favorite native grape
of North Carolinians.
Hy FRANK >1. KORFKTS
“A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and
ihou" goes the Rubaiyat of Omar
Khayyam.
N’orih Carolinians, perhaps a little
less sophisticated, will settle for a wife
in curlers and a product of the Chowan
County grape.
That's where the state’s only winery
is located. There was one in Onslow
County, but they went out of business
a few years ago.
The one in Chowan County is in
business as Wine Cellars. Inc.
The company's 83-acrc vineyard is a
small part of the state's 3.000-acrcs
where grapes arc commercially grown.
And North Carolina is only a small
part of the growing-grapes-for-winc
picture.
California is the leader. They pro¬
duce 83 per cent of the wine in the
United States.
The North Carolina grapes are the
scuppernong and catawba.
Most of the latter is shipped to the
Empire State. It is the grape on which
New York built its wine industry .
But in the south, the scuppernong is
the favorite and has been since at least
1584 when a Roanoke Island colonist
reported that he and his friends dis¬
covered. one July 4 day "a smell as
sweet as if we had been in the midst of
some delicate garden.
"(irupcs grew abundantly. Every
shrub was covered, climbing toward
the top of high cedars, and we think
the like is not to be found." The grape
was probably the scuppernong.
Some historians believe it originated
on Roanoke Island, but in 1909, Prof.
E. C. Reimer of the College of Agricul¬
ture and Mechanical Arts in Raleigh
(now the University of North Caro¬
lina), published the results of an ex¬
haustive study.
lie said the scuppernong. now grown
in many parts of the coastal plains of
the Southeastern states, originated in
Tyrrell County.
It was commercially planted here in
1809. Extensive plantings of the white
grape around Lake Scuppernong ( now
known as Lake Phelps) and the Scup-
Our
Only
When your family manufactures
grape harvesters and grows 83 acres of
grapes, the only thing to do is open a
winery.
Wine Cellars. Inc. opened for busi¬
ness in an old barn beside N.C. 32 in
Edenton last October, thus becoming
North Carolina's only winery— only
legal winery.
Their product is a dry table wine
sold under the brand name of "Deer¬
field Vineyards." made from locally-
grown scuppernong grapes.
Willem», luting h« prxtiKf. The bor«
tiMicd in the «ion- e »ho«" <• the bechgio-mJ
photo b, Robe Royt
pernong River, gave the grape its
name.
Scuppernong was derived from an
Algonquin Indian word "uscopo,"
which referred to a sweet bay tree. “As-
cuponung" was the place of the ascopo.
Through the years the word became
"Cuscoponung," then "Scuponung." In
1800 everyone settled for Scupper¬
nong.
In 1810. a man named James Blount
wrote that Washington County manu¬
factured 1,368 gallons of those grapes.
Home made scuppernong wine, rela¬
tively easy to make, has been a North¬
eastern North Carolina favorite for
many years.
Now. the scuppernong is going com¬
mercial.
A toast — to the little white grape
that should bring in a few green dol¬
lars in tax revenue.
Winery
And for those who want to try be¬
fore they buy, there is a tasting table.
Soon there will be a tasting room, a
bottling plant, printing press for the
labels, and a corporation to distribute
the product to be called, appropriately.
Wine Distributors, Inc.
"We are in the business from grow¬
ing to drinking." said Frank Williams,
vice-president of Wine Cellars.
Mis son. Paul, operates and manages
the budding business. Wines from their
initial efforts are now on sale, but the
grapes were not theirs and the wine
was bottled out of state.
"It was bottled by Wicdcrkehr Wine
Cellars. Inc. in Altus. Ark.." Williams
17
