Duplin Winery — Attraction in Rose Hill

So a couple of months ago my wife and I stopped here after a festival that was in the area. We had a good time and thought it would be fun to take the 2hr trip back here with 2 of our friends one weekend. We did and it was a terrible decision. We were pretty much greeted with rudeness and that should have been a sign of what was to come, but we weren’t going to let that ruin our day. Another terrible decision. We did a the wine tasting which was fine and wanted to hang around and have a few glasses on the patio before heading back home. Terrible decision number 3. After about an hour and a half when we were getting ready to have one final glass and head home, my wife and our friend were informed pretty nastily that they nor I and other friend could buy any more. The lady then informed us that she had eyes in the back of her head and we should have been cut off earlier when we reached our limit. First and foremost, no place in there does it say there is a limit and secondly 3 glasses, which is the most any of us had, is definitely not excessive. Well needless to say we were over this place at this point so before we headed out I had to pick up a case of wine I ordered online. They lady at the cash register took care of it and called for them to bring in my wine. A lady brings it down on a cart from the back and the cashier shows her who the wine goes to. At this point the lady literally looks at me from about 4 feet away shoves the cart at me and turns and walks away. This was the moment that I realized that I was done with Duplin Winery as a whole. The case of wine that I bought for us will now just be used as gifts or given away because we won’t drink it. My wife has been drinking the same Duplin wine for years but I told her we can find her an alternative. I have never once posted a negative review about any place and usually just let this stuff roll off my back. When that lady shoved that cart at me, a paying customer, it struck something in me that I have not been able to shake off. My only advice to Duplin is to hire people who enjoy their job, or it may cost you more customers like my wife and I...

We stopped in Duplin Winery after receiving a free wine tasting ticket from our paid admission to Alligator Adventure. Upfront, the service was great! We were greeted with a friendly southern hospitality. After receiving our directions from the front counter, we perused the winery awaiting our turn for the tasting. When our ‘buzzer’ went off alerting us it was our time, we met with our wine hostess, Kayleigh (spelling?). Kayleigh was very charming and made us feel very welcome. She was very knowledgeable about the winery, its history, production, and growth throughout the years as well as future endeavors. We certainly had a pleasant time during the tasting; Kayleigh was the consummate host. The wine (if that’s what you want to call it) is the part of the review that garnered the three-star review. The caveat here is if you are from California, or have a palate for great wines from the myriad of great wine making regions, the wine at Dulpin Winery is NOT for you! Being from California and living within the heart of wine country near Napa and Sonoma Counties, and having access to some of the most highly rated wineries in the world, my wife and I are discerning critics, and when we tasted the wine there, it was more akin to a ‘wine cooler’, per se (as my wife described it) than the wine varietals we’re accustomed to. The wines at Duplin were VERY sweet, as I suppose that’s what they’re used to in the south. I’m not stereotyping all folks from the south, but it appeared to me that that is the type of taste that is sought after in that region. Needless to say, if sweet wine is your “cup of tea”, then Duplin Winery should be at the top of your list for vintner destinations. If the quality of wine matched the hospitality we received during our visit, no doubt I would have submitted a 5-star rating. My apologies if I offend anyone with my review of the wine itself; however, if Duplin would whittle down from their production of 45 varieties (an astounding amount) and concentrate on a few quality wines, then perhaps they may attract a wider audience of wine...

After starting my wine drinking with Duplin wines (Hatteras Red) years ago, I was pretty excited to finally get to visit the original winery!

We did the wine tasting and did not have that long of a wait. It is definitely different than your traditional winery as you do group tastings with one server at Duplin. Also, you do not get to pick the wines you want to try, instead it is preselected - which I suppose is nice because you get a well-rounded balance to try, but I know right away when there will be ones I do not like and will be wasting.

Our wine flight: Carlos - too dry for me. Magnolia - too dry for me, but better than Carlos Muscadine Moscato - I was excited to finally try the first ever muscadine moscato blend, and it was SO good! They also threw in a taste of the Southern Mist, which is the bubbly version. I thought I'd like that one better, but it turns out, Muscadine Moscato was definitely my preference. Sweet Lily - very good, sweet bubbly wine. I do prefer the Sweet Rose bubbly wine to this one, but this one is still very enjoyable. Scuppernong - just okay. Burgundy - too dry for me. Pink Magnolia - just okay Bald Head Red - Good! Sangria Red - Good. I actually prefer their Sangria White or Sangria Rose over the red. Peach Cotton Candy - definitely a sweet one, and it was good!

The tasting came with a glass of wine - you go to their bar where they have all the wines available. We tried a sip of a couple before ultimately choosing what we would have. My husband went with the Sweet Lily and I went with the Sweet Rose.

Overall, not my favorite NC winery as I prefer traditional 1:1 tastings and places that are more relaxed, but I'm glad we finally got to visit Duplin. We went home with a bottle of the Muscadine Moscato and Sweet Rose as those are not easy to find in the stores here in Charlotte.

I recommend a stop at Duplin if you are in the area and have...