It is the intent of the State of North Carolina, Department of Commerce to solicit proposals for the NC Wine & Grape Council (NCWGC) "Wine Challenge" in accordance with the requirements stated herein. The Council is seeking a vendor to help brand, position, and promote North Carolina wines and wineries in a manner that increases awareness, interest, and sales of these NC products. The goal of the program is to utilize a series of tasting events to improve the image of NC wines and illustrate that wines produced in NC are equal to or better than comparable products from other well known wine-producing regions. The results will help to foster growth of the NC wine industry through incremental sales created by the results of these challenges.