In the rolling hills bounded by the barbecue of Lexington to the south and the mythical home of Mayberry, Mount Airy, to the north, the Yadkin Valley has grown into a wine region to be reckoned with.

And as you put together a personal wine list for the holidays, this may be the year to look homeward for something special.

Before Prohibition, North Carolina was this country's leading producer of wine. In 1835, the Medoc Vineyard in Halifax County alone out-produced all other U.S. vineyards. Prohibition put the wine industry out of business, and it would be decades before wine in North Carolina would become profitable again.

The Yadkin Valley Appellation is certainly the new core of winegrowers and winemakers in North Carolina. Labels such as West Bend, Shelton, Raylen, Round Peak and Laurel Gray have set standards for North Carolina wines, but very good wines come from outside the valley, too. In fact, the state has close to 40 vineyards and wineries.

Biltmore Estates in Asheville, one of the state's older wineries, has made an about-face with its Chateaux Reserve wines. With more mature vines, Biltmore is producing a wonderful Merlot, Riesling and a very satisfying Cabernet Sauvignon.

In Morrisville, Chatham Hill has a creditable Pinot Noir. Silver Coast in Ocean Isle has a lovely oaked Chardonnay. And notice I haven't yet mentioned a sweet wine. Growers and producers have moved past the native muscadines and demand the land give them Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Viognier and Merlot. Because of the conditions they require, growing these grapes is a very exacting job.

Yet North Carolina's winemakers produce high quality wines with these grapes, especially the whites. The stars of the state's wines are the premium Chardonnays, such as RagApple Lassie Vineyards or Raylen Vineyards Viognier. Quite frankly, Viognier could become North Carolina's claim to fame. This grape, planted in limited amounts throughout the world, is highly prized by wine drinkers because of its extreme dryness and its floral and fruity bouquet.

But good reds also can be found in the state. After giving it 30 minutes to breathe, West Bend's Chambourcin tastes like a gentle Rhone with herb and fruit overtones. Shelton Vineyards Syrah is calmer that most Syrahs, which makes it a bit more food friendly and a pretty good "house" red.

Remember that this is just one man's opinion; your taste buds may react differently. Talk with your wine merchant to find the flavors that best match your wine sensibilities. Triangle wine merchants that stock wines made in North Carolina include Whole Foods; A Southern Season and Chapel Hill Wine Co. in Chapel Hill; Hillsborough Wine Co. in Hillsborough; Plantation Wine, Wine n' Things and Seaboard in Raleigh; and Total Wine and The Wine Merchant in Raleigh and Cary.

One theory of wine pairing is that wines go best with foods native to the same region. Because sweet potatoes, pork and grouper are all important foods in this state, I have included recipes featuring these foods and suggested the best local wines to pair with them.

The sweet potato biscuits, with a bit of country ham in the middle, make a stellar cocktail party treat. Serve some Reisling. The grouper is good and fast enough for a weeknight dinner but will impress company as well. Try one of our state's many examples of Viognier with the fish. The pork tenderloins are a bit spicy and a good change of pace from the other foods of the season. A Cabernet, Merlot or Pinot Noir will work with the pork, but I think a Syrah will bring out the flavors best.

As I sip on a Chambourcin, a French-American hybrid that fares well in North Carolina soil, I can't help but wonder what path our state's wine business will take over the next 20 years. Will others hold North Carolina wineries up to the California producers, in quality, if not in quantity? Will U.S. 601 in the Yadkin Valley be bumper to bumper with cars on the weekends with folks exploring wines, like California Highway 29, which runs through Napa Valley? Time will tell, but many dedicated and driven folks throughout the state are determined to make North Carolina wines a class act.

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