Here’s the scoop on our current wine menu and how to make informed decisions based on what you typically like to drink.

So you like Cabernet Sauvignon?

The short answer –> You will find our Petit Verdot most similar in body and style to a Cab Sauv.

But while you’re here, let me teach you something about Georgia wine grapes! Wine grapes grown in Georgia cannot hang as long as wine grapes grown in California because of our wet fall weather. California can typically let its’ fruit hang into late September/October. What longer hang time means is higher sugar levels (brix) and more concentrated fruit, less water diluting the juice. Higher sugar yields a higher alcohol in a wine because yeast feed on sugar and produce alcohol, the more sugar they have to eat, the higher the alcohol in your finished wine. This is why California wines have traditionally been bigger and more “full-bodied” than many of their European and East Coast counterparts. It’s a great place to grow wine grapes for big wines!

On the East Coast we get a lot of rain in September and need to make a picking decision based on several factors like sugar content and whether or not rain is on the horizon. Often, the longer we let our fruit hang, the more diluted the berries risk becoming. East Coast grapes may produce red wines closer to 12.5-13.5% abv whereas Napa often produces closer to 15%. Many East Coast wine makers are chasing the same style of winemaking as Napa because consumers come to North Georgia expecting to drink similar wines; and we hope to slowly change that expectation! The way to make big wines on the East Coast is: buy grapes from California or add sugar to your grapes after harvest. We prefer to do neither and let our East Coast fruit show you exactly what it’s made of! Thanks for being open minded!

So you like to drink Pinot Noir?

Of our current 2 red wines, you will fall seriously in love with our Cabernet Franc because it is a medium bodied red wine. This is NOT your typical Cab Franc. Our growing region minimizes the usual pyrazenes so you get just a hint of dried herbs, no bell pepper! It has a good bit of acidity like a Pinot and a subtle French oak profile without hitting you over the head with tannins like your typical Cabs. This is a seriously quaffable wine that does GREAT with food!

While you’re here! Pinot Noir does not grow well in our climate due to this grapes’ preference for cooler summers and cooler nights. Its’ thin skins also make it very susceptible to becoming waterlogged with our heavy amount of rainfall which causes the berries to burst.

If you’re seeing Pinot Noir in North Georgia it has most likely been shipped in from California or Oregon.

So you like to drink Sauvignon Blanc?

You will love our Cheval (Vidal Blanc 2023 vintage coming soon)! It’s giving tropical notes like a cool New Zealand vintage with bright acidity. Our Femme Saleé (Albariño) is also worth trying as it reminds me a bit of a French Sauv Blanc in that it is more citrusy!

So you like bubbly??

You’re in luck, we have a few of those on the menu and because we don’t like short cuts we practice the traditional Champagne method of sparkling wine. That means we make a beautiful base wine, then right before bottling we pitch some more yeast in the tank and add sugar (it needs something to eat to create the bubbles; don’t worry ZERO SUGAR is left in the wine when the yeast are through with it!) and it undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle which produces the lovliest bubbles around.

I recommend starting with our Blanc de Pommes, our sparkling apple wine that tastes nothing like a cider and everything like a young Champagne or Prosecco.

So you like a dry red but you don’t like to be predictable?

Our Petit Verdot is a little best-selling rock star and grows SO well on the East Coast. It’s not often you get such a beautifully refined varietal Petit Verdot, this means no other grapes are blended in. Tannins are velvetty soft, not aggressive as you might expect with this Bordeaux grape, but if you like a bold red wine this one’s your ticket!

Impress all the wine geeks you know by bringing this one to your next dinner party or bottle-share.

It’s a 10/10! (but we’re not picking favorites!)

Rosé All Day!

We have plans to feature a rose in the future, but in the meantime we have a lovely Fuchsia pink Piquette: Nouveau Rouge! This is a low alcohol (9% ABV) easy drinking bubbly made by rehydrating our Chambourcin grape skins after pressing off the juice for that wine, then pressing again to create a lighter colored rose wine. This is the one you’ll reach for all season long but especially in the Summer!

My next recommendation may not be a Rosé wine, but our Emilia is the perfect alluring color (deep ruby red & *sparkling*) that satisfies the same longing in my Rosé loving heart! It’s a juicy black cherry and black currant bomb with some toasty oak notes; it’s dry but with all that fruitiness, it drinks like it isn’t. Enjoy this one with Italian food, charcuterie or dark chocolate…it’s the perfect V-Day wine and we only have 4 cases left of our 2023 vintage! Run!

That’s all for now but, as always, feel free to shoot us a message for any personal recommendations!

xx

Kristina