The other day I was looking at some economic data on North Carolina. I saw a few negatives but also one bright positive. One of the most positive state economic trends I saw was the tremendous growth over the past decade in the North Carolina wineries, especially around the Yadkin Valley region of the state.

You want to see great things for North Carolina?

If you are a resident of the state, I'm sure you want to see great things for the state. This would only make sense since the more prosperous the state becomes the better the life of you and your kids will be.

But as I mentioned above, there are a few very dark negatives I saw as I looked over our state economic data. Both the textile and the tobacco industries are decreasing at a drastic rate. Along with the tourist industry, which is still thriving, the textile and tobacco industries were once our bread and butter.

With these decreasing we need to find new industries that can promote growth in our state.

Along comes North Carolina wineries

Are you a wine drinker? Have you ever visit a winery in North Carolina? If you're a wine drinker but answer "no" to this question well chances are you fall in with the majority of wine drinkers in the state.

A 2012 study has shown that people in North Carolina, in total, consumed 8 million cases of wine annually. The average cost of a case of wine is probably around $150-200. Now times this number by 8 million and that would be a whole lot of revenue for people producing wine in the state.

But the problem is only about 7% of the total wine consumed is actually bought from owners of North Carolina wineries.

Most of the wine this wine being consumed is from California, Oregon, Washington, South America, Australia.

Buying Local means North Carolina Wineries

There are many people in the state that have taken part in the movement of buying locally. Buying locally would be such a positive trend to also see in "North Carolina wine drinkers" when they decide to buy their next bottle or case of wine.

Helping the wine industry in the state can do amazing things. Not only will it help the wineries but this will also help create jobs in supporting industries such as restaurants, hotels and companies that provide wine tours.

Yes, to buy your wine you will probably have to actually visit the winery. This can be look at as an inconvenience or an opportunity to meet and learn about people and places. But that's not to say that you can't order wine online, as many North Carolina wineries do have this option built into their websites.