A Model for Selecting Viticultural Sites in the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina

The North Carolina wine industry is growing at a fast pace. Many new vineyards are being planted with European varieties. Vitis vinifera varieties in general are the most challenging species of grape grown, requiring considerable effort to consistently produce yields of appropriate volume and good quality. The model produced in this research was designed to help guide site selection for V. vinifera vineyards in the North Carolina Piedmont. This is accomplished using a site suitability model and predictive geophysical parameters. The area of interest is Rockingham County, North Carolina. The model consists of four sets of factors each weighted and combined into sub-model composites. These sub-model composites represent the capability/suitability of: topography, soil, land use/land cover, and climate. The four sub-model composites were weighted and combined to produce the final output that summarizes the viticultural site suitability for the study area. KeywoRdS Applied Geography, Capability/Suitability, Composite Suitability, Geography of Wine, GIS, Map Algebra, Modeling, Niche Agriculture, Rockingham County, Site Selection, Terroir, Viticulture