The geography of wine in North Carolina: terroir, site selection efficacy, and implications for Pierce’s Disease resistant grape varieties in the Southeastern U.S

North Carolina has a broad range of physical environments that produce wine from a breadth of grape species/varietals. Its wine industry has grown rapidly for over a decade and the nature of its climates, soils, and topography are varied and unique in the wine world, yet North Carolina remains relatively unknown outside of the Southeastern portion of the United States. In this study, North Carolina’s vineyards and their specific site characteristics were considered both on the basis of their terroir and the extent to which they followed Cooperative Extension advice on site selection. One characteristic risk of growing grapes in the Southeastern U.S. is a plant illness known as Pierce's Disease, which is deadly to the vines of Vitis vinifera parentage. This research used a novel method to reveal the dividing line between V. vinifera and Pierce’s Disease resistant grape variety suitability zones across the Southeast. The quantification of the physical elements of terroir and test of the effectiveness of vineyard site selection has revealed the character of North Carolina’s wine regions and commercial vineyards. In addition, the modeling of the Southeastern U.S. Pierce's Disease zone provided clarification on where Pierce’s Disease resistant winegrapes might present new wine industry options for vineyards across the Southeastern U.S