Al Locklear, owner of Lumber River Trading Company, demonstrates how to install an air lock on a wine jug as Jerry Snow looks on. Large assortments of supplies are available for hobby wine makers as they prepare for the county fair.

During the past few years the general public's interest in wines and wineries has increased drastically. According to a recent survey, Americans are drinking more wine that ever before, yet less than one in seven adults drink wine regularly.

Much of this interest is a result of a 60 Minutes television news program in 1991 that examined the health benefits of moderate wine consumption. This program pointed out that the French have very low incidences of heart disease, yet they consume more fatty foods than Americans. The difference was that the French consume large amounts of red wines. A survey several years following this program determined that the average French citizen drank 15.9 gallons of wine each year, while the average American citizen drank only 2.0 gallons each year.

Following this program certain groups of Americans, especially the aged and the more affluent, began to consume more wine. Even so, only 18.9 percent of Americans are "marginal wine drinkers" who consume wine more than once every three months. Beer and/or spirits drinkers make up 24.7 percent of the population, while 42.7 percent of adult consumers are non-drinkers.

In the early 1900s, North Carolina was the leading wine producing state in the nation, but this industry closed down completely with prohibition. Today, this industry is on the rebound and North Carolina now ranks 10th in the US for both wine and grape production.

There are currently 61 wineries in 34 of North Carolina's counties, double the number in 2002. Ten new wineries are expected to open by the end of this year. There are also more than 350 individually owned grape vineyards across the state covering 1,350 acres.

The reason I am sharing all this information about wines with you is because the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair has developed an Amateur Wine Exhibit and Competition as part of the county fair. More and more of our local citizens have started making wine as a hobby. Quite a few other people in the area that have made wines for years, but they now understand that people are less critical of them, and that it is now more acceptable to make wine as a hobby. An event such as this at the county fair will motivate people to learn more about how to make quality wines, and will provide public recognition to those that develop the skills necessary to make high quality wines.

This exhibit and contest is being sponsored by Lumber River Trading Company, your True Value Hardware store on Roberts Avenue in Lumberton. Al Locklear, owner and manager of this store is a hobby wine maker himself. He knows how difficult it is too find all the supplies that are needed to make wines, so he has developed a full inventory of wine making supplies in his hardware store. He offers not only wine bottles and stoppers; he also has yeast and potassium sorbate. He can provide label kits, or he can make your labels for you. He offers starter wine making kits, and can either sell you a contraption to squeeze your grapes, or he will rent it to you. If you are a hobby wine maker and need supplies, stop by this store and check them out or give Al a call at 910-738-7788.

The Amateur Wine Exhibit and Competition at the county fair offers very attractive prizes and ribbons. All wines entered in this event will be judged on their own merit, so they don't actually compete against other wines. Each wine will be presented both a blue, red, or white ribbon and appropriate prize money depending upon how that wine scores in relation to color, clarity, bouquet, flavor, and overall presentation. Categories are available for white or red wines, viniferous or muscadine, and for various fruits. Those entering wines in this event and winning the blue ribbons will definitely have bragging rights that they make the best wine in the region.

All amateur wine makers in Robeson or any adjoining North Carolina or South Carolina county may enter their best wines in this exhibit at the upcoming Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair. Wines must be entered on Sunday, September 23, from 1 - 6 p.m.; Monday, September 24, from 4 - 9 p.m.; or Tuesday, September 25, from 4 - 9 p.m. Certified wine judges will judge the wines in the Home Exhibit building at 2:00 pm on Saturday, September 29. Exhibitors will be able to pick up their wines, ribbons, and prize money on the Sunday after the fair is over, October 7, between the hours of 1 - 5 p.m.

If you are a hobby wine maker and would like to enter your wines in the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair, please call me at 910-671-3276 so I can mail you the complete information about this exhibit and contest. If you have friends or acquaintances in Robeson or any adjoining county that are hobby wine makers, please share this information with them.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 09/12/07