Duplin Winery | NC RISING Reporter's Notes

When most people think of wine, they think Cabernet or Chardonnay, and they likely think of wine country in Napa Valley, California or Burgundy, France. Muscadine wines from Rose Hill, North Carolina probably don’t make the top of the list in familiarity, but if Duplin Winery has its way, that will soon change.

Admittedly, I was one of those people who didn’t know much about North Carolina’s history of winemaking. I was surprised to learn that at one time, early in United States history, North Carolina was the largest grape grower and wine maker in the country. The Civil War and prohibition ended that dominance, but here we are one hundred years later and what was old is new again and Duplin Winery is leading the way as the largest winery in the south. .

The Scuppernong grape, a variety of muscadine grape, is the official state fruit for North Carolina. It was the first grape ever actively cultivated in the United States, named for the Scuppernong River which runs from Washington County to the Albemarle Sound. The oldest vine in America is the Mother vine on the Outer Banks believed to be over 400 years old. Duplin produced the Mother Vine Wine, the first wine produced in over 100 years from the ancient vine.

Another interesting fact about the Scuppernong is it was one of Thomas Jefferson’s favorites. He planted some of the vines at his Monticello home. I’m told our forefathers enjoyed sweet wines—and let me just say if you aren’t familiar with muscadine wines they are sweet.

The reintroduction of grape growing, and in particular wine making, was not universally embraced by those in eastern North Carolina. Back in the 1970’s when the Fussell family started Duplin Winery the locals called it the “Factory of Liquid Sin”. There’s a lot of irony in this story for me because when you meet founder David Fussell, Senior you quickly discover that he is obviously a man of deep faith. He told me he prayed about what to do and he says he kept at it, despite facing bankruptcy and foreclosure, because he says a voice told him,” Someday you’re going to help a lot of people.” Well, if you consider the number of jobs he’s providing and the number of farmers and families who depend on the winery for their livelihood, that prediction held true.

What he foresees now is even more jobs thanks to the research that suggests possible health benefits from the anti-oxidants found in wine. He believes nutraceuticals made from the seeds and skins of the muscadine have great potential. When 60 Minutes did a story about the possible health benefits of red wine the wine market exploded. The Fussell’s admit they benefitted greatly from the so called “French Paradox”. How is it that a population that eats a high fatty diet actually enjoys low blood pressure and low cholesterol levels? C’est le vin! It’s the wine of course. Well, at least that’s the theory.

Like any successful entrepreneur, Mr. Fussell is never satisfied. He’s always thinking about what he can do next. And he has plans and projects that he hopes will translate into more jobs and more tourism dollars for Duplin County. He is a man of boundless energy, ideas and great stories. He makes analogies between his vineyards and life. A young vineyard he says is “like a young child that requires a great deal of care but prepares it for a lifetime.” Or he’ll tell you grapes are good crops to grow because they teach you a lot about life. “Every year you have to prune them and I’ve found out during life the Lord has to prune us too cause we’ll pick up bad habits.”

As travelers from the north head down I-95 the Fussell’s hope they will be intrigued enough to stop in for a tour and a tasting. Eventually when he builds his hotel and spa he hopes they might stick around for healthy cooking classes and maybe even a massage. When David Fussell looks at his wine glass it’s definitely half full.

-Christine Rogers, Producer