West of Atlanta, Georgia is Carroll County. This county has taken its first steps into becoming a wine region by granting a permit for the establishment of a winery.

According to a Times-Georgian.com article “Vineyard gets county’s first commercial winery permit” by Winston Jones, Carroll County has issued its first permit for a conditional use permit. This will allow the construction of a winery building.  The owner of the property currently has young vineyards established. The winery building is expected to be finished in time for the 2014 harvest and will be named Little Vine Vineyards.

Georgia is not well known for vineyards and wineries. Some people think that the climate is not conducive to growing the type and quality of grapes needed for making quality wines. Pierce’s disease is also a challenge for grape growers. However, wine lovers and travelers may want to check out the website of The Vineyard and Winery Association of West Georgia. This website includes information about wineries and vineyards in the West Georgia region. According to the association, grape varieties that do well in West Georgia include Blanc du Bois, Norton, Villard Blanc, and Lenoir. Of course Muscadine grapes do well in Georgia.

The Georgia Wine Country website offers a lot of information about wineries in Georgia including a map that shows the location of more than 40 wineries with the majority of wineries in northern Georgia.

Traveling to Georgia? Check out some of the wineries.

Cheers! Kathy