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82 WINES&VINES December 2015 GRAPEGROWING WINE EAST Growing Grapes in Georgia Southern Piedmont region planting Pierce's disease-resistant grapes By Fritz Westover KEY POINTS Historically, vineyards in Georgia outside the South- ern Blue Ridge region have been limited to Musca- dine grape varieties resistant to Pierce's disease. The unique soils and climate of the Southern Pied- mont south and west of Atlanta, Ga., however, are well suited to PD-resistant grape varieties such as Blanc du Bois, Lenoir, Norton and Villard Blanc. Research work conducted in Texas and Alabama has improved vineyard-management practices, selection of training systems and cultural practices, resulting in better wine quality for PD-resistant varieties. High-quality, award-winning wines are now being produced in the Southern Piedmont, and vineyards growing the PD-resistant varieties have cropped reli- ably for the past three years. G eorgia is currently home to approximately 500 acres of bunch grapes, most of which are planted in the north- ernmost part of the state. (Bunch grapes include vinifera, native labrusca varieties and hybrids but not Musca- dine.) The Southern Blue Ridge area—located north and east of Dahlonega, Ga., and bordering on Tennessee and North Carolina—is home to the majority of Georgia's 47 wineries. This region is predominantly planted with French vinifera varieties in- cluding Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Petit Manseng, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, as well as common French-American hybrids such as Chambourcin, Vidal Blanc and Seyval Blanc. However, new vineyards and wineries are now being established in another region of Georgia. This area, the Southern Piedmont, includes counties west and south of Atlanta and extends from Alabama up to Virginia. Characteristics of the Southern Piedmont region The Southern Piedmont region is situated at the southern stretch of the Blue Ridge Mountains and consists of rolling to hilly upland foothills with elevation ranging from 330 to 1,310 feet above sea level. The land area in Georgia constitutes 27% of the Southern Piedmont region. Temperatures are more moderate than those in the Southern Blue Ridge region (USDA hardiness zones 7a-8a) and rarely drop below 0° F, even Lenoir is shown growing on the Watson training system in the Southern Piedmont region of Georgia.