One of Burntshirt's varieties of grapes grow in the vineyard. (Sept. 13, 2012/FOX Carolina)HENDERSONVILLE, NC (FOX Carolina) -
It's just about fall, which means time to harvest grapes. Some of those grapes in Western North Carolina are turning what's typically imported from Europe into a local good.
A new vineyard in Hendersonville features varieties like Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Gruner Veltliner.
Burntshirt Vineyards grows grapes on two plots of Henderson County land, at 2,200 and 3,400 feet above sea level. The Oaks family, who owns the winery, first planted in 2009, and last year was the first harvest.
SLIDESHOW: New Hendersonville winery opens
"The quality of the fruit was just so exceptional, [Lemuel and Sandra Oats] heard this from other people who purchased the fruit from them, they decided that they might want to make their own wine," said Kathleen Watson, Burntshirt's wine consultant.
The vineyard opens on Saturday and the wine for sale was bottled in 2011.
The growers said the vineyard's high altitude allows for the European-style varieties.
Burntshirt will become the 114th winery in North Carolina. There are at least 400 vineyards in the state, but most of those sell their grapes to other wineries.
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