DOBSON, N.C. -- To many Pittsburghers, North Carolina brings to mind three things: the white, sandy beaches of the Outer Banks, Tar Heel basketball and some of the most finger-lickin' pork barbecue on God's great earth (tangy vinegar-based sauce in the eastern part of the state, sweet tomato-based in the west).

But wine? Best to head to the West Coast or New York's Finger Lakes region for that.

Ken Gulaian and Kari Heerdt thought that way, too, when they relocated from San Francisco to the northern part of North Carolina a few years ago. Chalk it up to the many hours spent tasting the fine chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons produced in Napa, Sonoma and California's Dry Creek Valley, but East Coast wines simply weren't on the radar -- and this is a couple who, before moving to California, had lived in Charlotte, N.C., for a half-dozen years.

"We'd never even heard of any North Carolina wines," acknowledges Ms. Heerdt.

Then, two years ago, Mr. Gulaian decided to leave his corporate job at Ingersoll Rand to start his own business. Searching the Web for ideas, he learned of a small winery for sale in this town of 1,500 in the Blue Ridge Mountains' foothills. And before he knew it, he wasn't just sampling North Carolina wine. He and his wife were making it.

Actually, winemaker Sean McRitchie's expert hands oversee wine production at Round Peak Vineyards near Mount Airy, and quite well, thank you very much. In the years since the first vines were planted in 2000, its semi-dry and dry boutique wines have won medals at the Mid-Atlantic Wine Competition, the Vino Challenge International in Atlanta and the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition. Not bad for a vineyard whose idea was hatched by original owners on a trip to Napa. (Who can tour a winery and not dream of owning one?)

Turns out, North Carolina has a burgeoning wine industry, with some 90 wineries and 400 individually owned vineyards populating three federally recognized American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs, from Moonrise Bay Vineyards on the Outer Banks to RagApple Lassie Vineyards in mid-state Boonville to Calaboose Cellars in Andrews, near the Tennessee border.

(To earn AVA status, at least 85 percent of the grapes used to make a wine must come from the region, and there must also be evidence that the growing conditions, such as the soil, elevation and climate, are distinctive.)

It's just the biz is so new -- most are less than a decade old -- that unless you've seen the billboards on Interstate 77 and other local highways urging you to "Experience NC Wine Country," you might not know of it. Unfortunately, only one North Carolina wine, Biltmore, is available in Pennsylvania state stores (by the case, by special order) and none is permitted to be shipped here.

In reality, North Carolina's growing number of vineyards and accompanying wine tours shouldn't raise that much of an eyebrow. The fruity, full-flavored muscadine grapes grown in the coastal regions, known locally as scuppernong, was the first native grape cultivated in the United States (in the 1600s). And at the turn of the 20th century, North Carolina was the leading wine-producing region in the nation, with 25 wineries. Then came the push for Prohibition and, like grapes withering on the vine during winter, the business dried up. Or rather, went into hibernation.

Whereas early attempts at growing European wine grapes in the South weren't hugely successful, viticultural research over the past 30 years has helped growers adapt those vines to North Carolina's climate, soil and pests. Today, vinifera grapes similar to those harvested in California abound: chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, viognier, cabernet franc. French-American hybrids also have had success.

Almost two dozen wineries and vineyards are clustered in the Piedmont region's Yadkin Valley alone, a grape-loving 1,000 feet above sea level, and like the fruit that's picked by hand each fall, they're a diverse bunch.

A few, such as Shelton Vineyards in Dobson that recently opened a 33,000-square-foot facility and has a restaurant on site, are large enough that they offer guided tours on the half-hour; opened to the public in 1985, the vineyard at the world-famous Biltmore Estate farther west in Asheville draws more than 1 million visitors annually.

Others have tasting rooms that mirror the mass of varietals basking in the hot Carolina sun outside their doors. Raffaldini Vineyards off Highway 421 in Ronda, known for its pinot grigio, sangiovese and montepulciano wines, is like a mini visit to Tuscany. The two-story villa sits on 100 acres planted with 750 rose bushes and fig and olive trees, and there are also balconies and a stone piazza with fantastic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Inside, visitors are treated to a gallery of traditional Italian paintings and sculptures. Benvenuto!

The vast majority, though, are small, boutique wineries like Round Peak, which has just 13 planted acres and produces between 1,200 and 1,500 cases of estate-bottled wine a year -- a drop in the bucket compared to the Robert Mondavis, Gallos and Beringers of the wine world. Prices range from $12 for a 2004 merlot or cabernet franc to $21 for a blended cabernet sauvignon.

Old North State Winery & Brewery, located in a renovated 1890s mercantile building in Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, is a bit larger, producing upward of 15,000 cases a year. It's also the rare urban winery. Outfitted with a huge stone bar crafted from local granite, though, it has a warm, intimate feel that encourages lingering. Even better, it has a great backstory.

Legend has it a skeleton arm -- but no body -- was found in the basement when the structure was renovated following a giant explosion that blasted the storefront right off the building. People also have heard things that go bump in the night when the building is empty, prompting the East Coast Paranormal Society to come calling and co-owner Ben Webb to put skeletons on its Restless Soul merlot blend and Bare Bones chardonnay.

"It's known as the haunted winery," says tasting room manager Liz Blevins.

Given their youth, many of the vineyards are still searching for the right "expression" of grapes, or best choice of varietal, root stock and clone that work best in varying soil and produce wines comparable to those of Europe and California.

Or as Ms. Heerdt notes, while pouring samples for a group from South Carolina in Round Peak's charming tasting room, which offers a view of the bottling area, "The wines are getting there, but we'll have to see where this goes."

The fact it can take upward of 20 years after the initial planting to develop a winning combination -- and that the jury is still out among wine snobs as to whether the wine's any good -- hasn't prevented a successful winemaking industry from taking root. North Carolina today ranks ninth for total grape production in the U.S., and eighth for wine. In all, the fruit supplies 5,700 jobs and pumps $813 million into the local economy.

In a way, North Carolina winemaking is as much about survival as it is an opportunity for businessmen like Mr. Gulaian to make a buck on America's growing love affair with wine, as the state's declining tobacco and textile industries left some Yadkin Valley residents scrambling for a new way to make a living.

Benny and Kim Myers, who own Laurel Gray Vineyards, one of five vineyards in the Swan Creek region of the Yadkin Valley, are but one example. Mr. Myers followed in his father and grandfather's footsteps when he went to work for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in 1978, while his wife pursued a career in advertising and graphic art. Yet as their children grew older, they realized the only way they'd be able to stay on the 84-acre former dairy cattle and tobacco farm was if they found an agricultural alternative.

As it happened, Surrey Community College had just started offering courses in viticulture and enology. So they thought, why not?

"Others were trying it, so we thought we should check into it, too," says Mrs. Myers.

In 2001, after soil testing and a lot of research, the couple planted their first French vines and named the vineyard for their son and daughter. Two years later they opened a tasting room in a renovated milking parlor. Today, three white and four red French grapes are grafted onto American rootstock. Winemaker Kent Smith handcrafts the fruit, one varietal at a time, into 2,000 or so cases of red and white wines in a replica horse barn that's a two-minute walk from the parking lot.

Laurel Gray also has started offering a selection of handmade barbecue, chocolate, caramel and dipping sauces made with organic herbs grown by the Myers' son-in-law, Jay Bond, on the farm. (Be sure to pick up a bottle of the Artisan Vinaigrette -- it's fabulous!) For those who want to linger on the covered back patio overlooking the pond, there are gourmet picnic baskets.

With Raffaldini Vineyards just five miles down the road, and more vineyards springing up each year, you'd think Mrs. Myers might be worried by the competition.

But no. So many vineyards mean there's something for everybody in North Carolina wine country.

"Each one is so different, it's like a treasure hunt," she says. "We all have our own flair."

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