Tourists flock to North Carolina

As spring approaches tourists will soon be flocking to our area. And that could be one of the main reasons North Carolina was recently ranked among the top five states for wine and culinary tourism.

Jim and Donna Moricle have developed a new hobby -- touring North Carolina wineries and sampling fine wines and southern hospitality.

"We like to try different wineries. They all have their own special wine that they make. And we just like to try the different ones," says Jim Moricle.

And they're not alone. More than 80,000 people visited North Carolina wineries last year. Duplin Winery owner David Fussell says wine connisseurs are more abundant than ever.

"We had 80,000 visitors last year come through Duplin Winery,"says Fussell. "A lot of folks have on their agenda to visit every winery."

Even though these grape vines are bare, it doesn't mean people aren't visiting North Carolina vineyards and wineries in the off-season. But they're not just coming for the wine. They're coming for the food as well.

"We like to eat a lot. And we like wine. So we like to try it all... a big steak and a bottle of red wine," says Jim and Donna Moricle.

"Wine and culinary tourism is sort of a new type of tourism," says Margot Knight Metzer, Director of the North Carolina Wine and Grape Council. "We have 63 wineries from the mountains to the coast. So that gives a lot of opportunities for travelers to stop and visit those wineries and the restaurants that are around them."

"Five years ago, we put a restaurant and an executive chef. So we pair wines with food. And we actually do wine culinary tours," says Fussell.

Combining wine and culinary experiences has helped turn North Carolina tourism into a $14 billion-a-year industry, leaving restaurant and winery owners toasting their success.