Duplin Winery Announces Major New Attraction Coming To Panama City Beach
The largest winery in the South, Duplin Winery of Rose Hill, has broken ground on the family-owned winery's third exciting location. Located on 70 acres at the previous Hombre Golf Club, Duplin Winery is building a 35,000-square-foot complex that will be the home of an award-winning, laid-back Southern-style wine tasting experience featuring specialty drinks, gourmet foods, merchandise, live entertainment and America’s Favorite Sweet Wine. It is expected to open in 2023. Representing an initial $15 million investment, the attraction will employ more than 50 people. Over 20 acres of the property will be dedicated to conservation and preserving the land's natural beauty.
An award-winning winery, Duplin is known for “cool, sweet & easy” sipping wines. Accompanied by frozen cocktails, signature homemade crackers and gourmet Muscadine cheese dip, Duplin's relaxed and fun-filled guided wine tastings are extremely popular. The tasting station in Panama City Beach will offer guests the opportunity to sample assorted Duplin wines as guests are entertained with fun facts about muscadine grapes, Southern winemaking, rich Duplin family history and the “Life is Sweeter with Duplin” experience. Hand-bottling demonstrations will be accompanied by a presentation about the winery's early days when Duplin first sold its wines in mason jars before moving to wine bottles. The signature mason jar remains a beloved item among Duplin wine fans, as select wines are offered in jars.
“We're really excited about bringing our laid-back Carolina lifestyle to Panama City Beach,” said Jonathan Fussell, co-owner/president of Duplin Wine Family and head of the winery's Tasting Destinations. “In the wine country of North Carolina, we're serious about our wines but relaxed about life. We’ll be creating a place where folks can relax, listen to live music, and learn a little more about our wines. We expect to host groups, parties and families. Adults will enjoy it, and kids will, too. In addition to our wines, we'll be serving our refreshing Sweetzer frozen drinks, which can be made in non-alcoholic versions. Families will find this a unique attraction that everyone can enjoy.”
Renderings of the Panama City Beach building design.
“My family has been making wine in Rose Hill, North Carolina for more than 45 years,” Fussell continued. “Over these years, experience has helped us learn how to become more than just a winery. We’ve learned how to create a true entertainment destination, a place where people enjoy hanging out, can be comfortable bringing friends and family, and come to love the whole Duplin way of life,” Fussell said. “In 2015, we opened our second location in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and its success exceeded all our expectations. The laid-back beach atmosphere of Panama City Beach is a perfect fit for Duplin’s COOL SWEET and EASY lifestyle and once we’re open, our guests will be able to enjoy wine tastings, live music and wine production six days a week. Eventually a wedding chapel, vineyards and club cottages will be built to expand our initial vision.”
Duplin Winery is the largest wine production facility on the East Coast. Both co-owner Dave Fussell, Jr., who serves as president and CEO of Duplin Winery, and his brother, Jonathan Fussell, are deeply involved in the day-to-day operation of the winery, leading tastings, having a hand in the wine-making process and sharing their “Life is Sweeter with Duplin” vision.
“We believe in being hands-on at Duplin,” said Jonathan Fussell. “We're proud to share our sense of family and commitment to excellence with the guests we have, and we're looking forward to making a lot of new friends at our new Panama City Beach location.”
More information about Duplin Winery and its future Panama City Beach location can be found at www.duplinwinery.com.
About Duplin Winery
Family-owned Duplin Winery, headquartered in Rose Hill, N.C., is the largest winery in the South and listed as the 36th Largest Winery in America by Wine Business Monthly magazine. It produces some of the best-selling sweet wines in America. Specializing in wines made from the muscadine grape, Duplin is the largest muscadine winery in the world with a tank capacity of 2.1 million gallons. Duplin Winery grows its own grapes in North Carolina, and works with over 60 farming families to buy grapes in FL, GA, NC, SC and MS. Its plans include planting an additional 100 acres of grapes in the Panhandle region to support its newly announced Panama City Beach location.
Started by D.J. Fussell, Sr., in the 1970s, Duplin Winery is now owned and managed by a third generation of Fussells. Dave Fussell, Jr., serves as president and CEO of Duplin Winery, and Jonathan Fussell leads the Duplin Winery marketing division and serves as president of Duplin Wine Family.
Duplin wines have won several awards over the years, including honors normally given to wines from the classic West Coast wine belt such as Impact’s Hot Brand Award and Beverage Information Group’s Fast Track Award. Duplin wines have been featured in Martha Stewart Living, Elite magazine, and numerous regional news media.
Duplin wines are currently sold in sixteen different states in the South, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest and ship to 47 different states.
