North Carolina Rising

Duplin Winery

Long before North Carolina was known for growing tobacco, the Tar Heel State was the largest grower of grapes and the leading wine maker in the union. That all changed after the Civil War and later prohibition. But today there's a resurgence of wine making in North Carolina and no where is that more apparent than in Duplin County.

Where once acres of tobacco farms dotted the landscape, today in Duplin you will find acres of vineyards. David Fussell is the man largely responsible for the resurgence of grape growing and wine making in the eastern part of the state. It was not an easy journey when he started in the early 1970s. The locals called his winery the "Factory of Liquid Sin." Wine making was frowned upon especially for a man who was teaching the Bible at a Christian school--but Fussell took a gamble--a gamble that at one point left him bankrupt and facing the loss of his home.

"I wanted to quit and my brother did," says Fussell. "My brother went back to carpentry. My daddy who was our financier said quit but my wife said no, we worked too long and we make too good a product to give up." That tenacity paid off. Today Duplin winery sells nearly 350,000 cases of wine a year and the company has over 1800 acres of vineyards across four states.

Just 15 years ago Duplin employed only a handful of people. Today more than 80 employees are on the payroll along with 43 contract grape growers. Grower Mike Long says after nearly one hundred years, Duplin Winery re-opened the market for Muscadine grapes. "As far as the agriculture, we lost all our tobacco. That's gone," says Long. "I think these grapes might be another crop for the farmers to find some more markets and more crop revenue."

What helped Duplin winery realize an explosion in growth were studies that suggested potential health and anti-aging benefits from wine--thanks to the presence of anti-oxidants and Resveratrol in the grapes. Fussell jokes, "In moderation Duplin wine is healthy, in excess it can be deadly but abstinence is a crying shame."

The Fussell's say studies have shown that muscadine grapes have 40 times more Resveratrol and seven times more anti-oxidants than the vinifera grapes which are not indigenous to North Carolina such as the muscadine. Thanks to those properties, Duplin Winery believes there's a lot more potential for their grapes than just wine. Its sister company NutraGrape makes Muscadine grape nutraceuticals--supplements and other products made from the skins and seeds of the grapes.

T. LaFontine Odom Sr., a family friend and a big user and believer in nutraceuticals, is convinced North Carolina's economy could benefit from other grape related products. "For Eastern North Carolina I think this offers one of the best opportunities for jobs, jobs, jobs," he says." "Muscadines are relatively easy to grow they’re indigenous, and thanks to the Fussell family and Duplin Winery they have led the way."

Duplin Winery is still very much a family owned company. David Fussell and his sons oversee the operation. It wasn't that long ago when Duplin had a 50,000 gallon capacity at its winery, now it has 1.2 million. Duplin sells 30 different varieties of wine and the winery has become a big draw for tourists. The youngest son, Jonathan, who does much of the marketing for Duplin, estimates the winery generates between $18 and $20 million in tourism revenue.

The Fussell’s have even bigger tourism plans for Duplin County. They want to move their winery to land they purchased off 1-40 in Rose Hill. It will be home to multiple gardens, a farmer's market and eventually a hotel and spa. "This site is so pretty that it could be a rest spot," says David Fussell. "The hotel wouldn't only be a place to stay but a place to get away and rest and recuperate."

Rest is not something the Fussell's seem to do much of. Since 1996 Jonathan says they've been growing as fast as they can without borrowing any money. "We hope to grow into more states. Right now we're the 32ndlargest winery in the nation, but we're only in 17% of the landscape of the U.S. Our wine is sold in only about eight or nine states right now."

David Jr. who oversees the production facility says when he was in college he thought if only they could get to 40,000 cases of wine a year they would be set. "Of course now I keep saying, well, if we can ever get to 400,000 cases a year we'll be set. You're never satisfied."

Just next door to the winery is an abandoned textile mill--a reminder of the job losses and the economic hardships that Duplin County has faced. The Fussell's believe muscadine grapes can be part of a much brighter future.

David Sr. says, "We're providing good jobs with a good futures and one of the best things you can do for a person is give them a good job."

Duplin Winery is the oldest and largest Muscadine winery in the world. In 2009 it received two prestigious wine making awards for those wine brands that have seen double-digit brand growth for the past five years.