Polk County, particularly the area around Tryon, has a long history with vineyards. In fact, between 1865 and the 1970s, more than 20 vineyards operated in the area and these vineyards produced recognized wines.
Since 2007, several local vineyards have worked to earn a federal designation that showcases the area and its ability to produce grapes that go into locally-made wines.
During a recent meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, Overmountain Vineyards’ Lita Lilly and Parker-Binns Vineyard’s Cory Lillberg explained that their application for an American Viticulture Area (or AVA) certification had been approved. It was approved on Sept. 29, 2025, and is set to become effective on Oct. 29, 2025.
According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau website, an AVA is “a specific type of appellation of origin used on wine labels. An AVA is a delimited grape-growing region with specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding regions and affect how grapes are grown. Using an AVA designation on a wine label allows vintners to describe more accurately the origin of their wines to consumers and helps consumers identify wines they may purchase.”
The local AVA will be called Tryon Foothills AVA and Lilly said they were “very proud of that name.” According to NCWine.org, the Tryon Foothiills AVA is the seventh such designation in the state.
“These areas of viticulture are important because it allows the consumer, whoever drinks the wine, to understand where that product comes from. If you put an ‘AVA’ on your bottle, it means that those grapes used to make that wine, have to be from Tryon, North Carolina,” Lilly told the Commissioners.
Seeing “AVA” on a local bottle of wine also gives a distinction to the product and shows that the area’s grape-growing qualities are officially recognized.
“This is a farming thing that has an impact on wine,” Lilly said. “It’s very agriculture driven and the wineries benefit from it and the county benefits from it.”
Lilly said that wine in North Carolina is currently a $3 billion industry in the state.
Want to learn more about AVA? Click here
