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Moonshine
No More
Once
better known for bootlegging,
the
North Georgia mountains see the
re
-birth of a wine industry
By
Beverly Taylor
n
Who
would have guessed that North Georgia’s winemaking history
has its roots in Hungary? In the late 1880s, Robert L. Spencer,
a savvy land developer, led a group of devoted Hungarian
winemaking families, mostly Pennsylvania miners, to settle 2,000
acres of land in Haralson County, Ga. Their winemaking colony,
located in northwest Georgia, quickly flourished and in 1896, roughly
12,700 acres of land were covered with vines. Georgia’s
prospering wine industry faded quickly with the passage of the
state’s Prohibition Act in 1907 and it wasn’t until the
1970s that Georgia experienced a winemaking renaissance
of sorts. Today, North Georgia is home to 11 wineries and
vineyards, all scattered along the Georgia Wine Highway, growing
an impressively wide variety of both vitis vinifera (native European)
and French/American hybrid grapes. Over the past five years,
Georgia’s vineyard acreage has more than tripled and shows
no signs of stopping
North Georgia wines are appearing in top Atlanta restaurants
and have attracted both regional and national recognition. So is
it any wonder that expectant North Georgia vintners feel
like they see The Promised Land? Once better known for bootlegging,
the North Georgia mountains see the re-birth of a wine industry.
Photos: Philip Shone
experienced such success with their
had to transport it to the other side of
ebration, as happy wine drinkers
the mountain.”
milled about glorious Tiger
vines in Tiger, Ga. that this year their
Mountain’s hillside, munching on
seven acres of vines will double.
Problems, bearish or otherwise,
crawfish cakes and sipping on the win-
Planting varietals from Cabernet Franc
seemed far away, however, during a
to Norton (a grape native to Virginia),
springtime Awakening of the Vines cel-
Tiger Mountain Vineyards has received
national acclaim for their wines—their
‘99 Cabernet Franc received a gold
medal from the American Wine
Society. Furthermore, you might spot
their distinctive tiger print labels grac-
ing such Atlanta restaurant tables as
Aria and the Horseradish Grill.
r
ol
y
a
Growing grapes in the mountains of
T
ylr
e
North Georgia, they’ll admit without
v
e
B
hesitation, is no bed of roses. Apart
Adhering
to ancient tradition, Peter Berry
from climatic difficulties, during their
Ňawakens”
the vines at Tiger Mountain Vineyards.
2000 vintage, the Stacks and Ezzards
received repeat visits from a grape-lov-
ing bear especially keen on Cabernet
Did
You Say
r
Franc. Hoping to frighten the furry
ol
y
a
T
gourmand, they put a truck in the
Award-Winning
Wines?
ylr
e
v
vineyard with a motion detector, flash-
e
B
Tiger Mountain Vineyard owners Bill
ing lights and a loud radio. ŇThat
Stack and John Ezzard, along with
worked for a night or twoÉthen we
Skeptics
originally thought the founders of pioneering Habersham Winery
their wives Leckie and Martha, have
had a dancing bear,” said Stack. ŇWe
were