Look at what we get to vote in!
Flint hill vinyards is just the road from me. You should see the money the guy is investing in his place, but people are afraid that if he could sell alcohol and have events such as weddings and "get togethers" on his property, all hell is going to break loose and nothing but "drunkards" and "degenerates" will come.
YADKINVILLE, N.C. -- Wineries are a big part of Yadkin County's growing tourist industry. But -- except in five vineyard tasting rooms and the town of Yadkinville -- you can't buy a glass of wine within its borders.
County commissioners want voters to say whether they'd like that to change. They voted 5-0 Monday night to hold a referendum some time next year -- probably February or March -- on whether to legalize the sale of wine throughout the county.
"I think the people of this county should have the right to vote on an issue that's important to them," said Commissioner Brady Wooten, the chairman of the board.
The county's Economic Development Council recommended the ballot.
Tourism revenue in Yadkin County rose from $24.17 million to $26.95 million -- an 11.5 percent jump -- between 2003 and 2004, according to the state Department of Commerce.
Every county around Yadkin allows wine sales, and it's also legal in Yadkinville after voters in 2003 voted 317-315 to legalize the sale of wine, though not beer or mixed drinks.
Federal and state laws allow vineyards and wineries to sell their own wine on their properties. The county now has five tasting rooms, the newest of which -- Flint Hill Vineyards outside East Bend -- opened in October.
Legalizing wine sales throughout the county would provide an incentive for tourists who visit those vineyards to eat in the county's restaurants and stay in its hotels, industry participants say.
"Once we get them across the mighty Yadkin, it will be an opportunity to keep them here," said Tim Doub, the owner of Flint Hill Vineyards. "It's nice to have the county leaders' support for the industry in its infancy."
But others in the county say it's a question of quality of life rather than making money.
Phil Beavers, a pastor at South Oak Ridge Baptist Church outside Yadkinville, said he opposes legalizing the sale of wine. He believes that most people in the county agree with him.
"The people of the county, they're family-loving people, and they realize the problems that alcohol of any sort create for the family," Beavers said. "I think there is just the feeling that drinking alcohol of any sort is just not what they want in the community."
Whats somewhat funny is that everyone in the county who wants to drink usually stops at the gas stations just outside the county line, buys a six pack, then drinks it on the drive home, then throws the cans and bottles off the exit ramps. For a dry county, you wouldn't believe all the beer cans and bottles on the side of the road.
Give you an idea of the work the guy put into the "house" at Flint Hill, a before and after pic. Amazes me to some extent that people are against this guy and his business. Ironic as well that tabacco farming is on the decline, but wineries, particularly in this area, are growing (no pun intended)
