Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 10, 1990 TAG: 9006130471
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: George & Rosalie Leposky
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Throughout the South today, more grapes are being grown and more wine is being made than at any time since Prohibition began in 1917. Wineries flourish from Virginia south to Florida and westward to Texas and Arkansas.
California still leads the nation with 90.5 percent of U.S. wine production, but of the remainder, almost 18 percent comes from five Southern states - South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Texas and Florida - which rank among the top 10 wine-producing states.
Virginia has 41 wineries, more than any other Southern state, but South Carolina's three large wineries outproduce Virginia by more than 1.7 million gallons. Texas, with 27 wineries, "expects in 1990 to be in the top six wine-producing states, with production of over one million gallons," says Danny L. Presnal, a marketing specialist for the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Where wine grapes don't grow well, vintners may ship in a stock from somewhere else or make wine from other types of fruit. With location no barrier to wine-making, wineries thrive today in unexpected locales.
Eden Vineyards, the southernmost winery in the United States, began in 1986 near subtropical Fort Myers, Fla., and opened a visitor center last fall. "We grow a hybrid vinifera created by the University of Florida," says owner Earl T. Kiser. "We're working to develop a fine white table wine."
More traditional wine-growing conditions exist at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C. "Our geographical location is especially suited to growing classic European vinifera grapes," says wine-maker Philippe Jourdain. "They grow on high rolling hills, drained by the French Broad River, with warm days and cool nights. We make French wines adapted to American tastes."
Southland Estate Winery, beside Interstate 95 near Selma, N.C., is re-creating the scuppernong wines of colonial days with Vitis rotundifolia grapes grown in the loamy soils of the Piedmont region.
Throughout the South, you'll find wineries in modern factories built specifically for making wine; in restored wineries that predate Prohibition; in century-old mills, stables and other structures adapted to wine-making; and in shopping mall storefronts near regional tourist attractions.
Some wineries give free tours and samples. Others charge you to tour and taste, although in some cases you can apply the charge to purchases of wine or gift shop items.
Build diversity into wine tours. Make one winery large, another small; make one old, another new. Arrange to have white wine at one winery and red at another.
Proximity makes this technique possible in the hills northeast of Atlanta, where you can spend the morning in Braselton, Ga., touring Chateau Elan Winery, a large, well-established vintner, and Chestnut Mountain, a small new winery that opened in 1988 within sight of Chateau Elan. Both are near I-85 exit 48, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Break for lunch at Chateau Elan's cafe (open daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m.), then spend the afternoon at Habersham Vineyards and Winery 40 miles away in Baldwin, Ga. "At Chateau Elan we blend traditional and modern wine-making techniques to improve the quality of our wine," says Jean F. Courtois, Chateau Elan's wine-maker.
Don't bypass a winery just because it is small. In fact, many of the small wineries offer the most interesting tours because they use traditional wine-making practices -crushing the grapes with an antique press, and filling and corking the bottles by hand. A wine-maker may lead the tours in person, and the staff may be able to spend more time with visitors.
Larger wineries employ modern wine-making technology, with automated crushers, large metal fermentation and storage tanks, and high-speed bottling machines. In such plants, you may find trained tour guides or self-guided tours that include video and sound recordings and written materials.
Phone ahead to wineries you want to visit, to make an appointment or at least to determine when they expect to be least crowded. Ask when the winery expects tour groups, and avoid those times. Don't visit small wineries during the fall harvest, when the staff works practically around the clock picking grapes and making wine.
"Harvest time comes early in Florida," says Keith E. Mullins, general manager of Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards in Clermont, Fla., a new "sister" winery to Lafayette Vineyards & Winery in Tallahassee. "We harvest Lakeride's Florida hydrid bunch grapes in late June or early July, and the muscadines in mid-August. Lafayette harvests a week or two later. Visitors who want to see the harvest should call to see if we're picking, and be prepared to come early. When we pick, we start at sunrise and stop at noon."
Allow ample time to visit a winery. The tour may last 60 to 90 minutes, not counting time spent tasting the wines, browsing in the winery's gift shop or retail store, and dining on the winery grounds. At some wineries, the tour may include adjacent vineyards. Other wineries buy grapes from vineyards miles away.
Some wineries allow you to taste everything they produce; others limit the quantity of wine and the number and types of wines you can taste on a single visit. If you want a special kind of tasting experience, make reservations and arrangements in advance.
At many wineries, tasting-room rules are set by local and state law. Tennessee, for example, encourages wine-making while discouraging consumption of alcoholic beverages. Thus, you can't be charged to tour a Tennessee winery or taste its products, but you may not consume on the premises any wine you purchase there.
Many states hold wine-makers responsible if someone to whom they gave wine causes an accident while under the influence of that wine. In those states, wineries monitor with exquisite care the amount of alcohol they give visitors. Enjoy the small taste you are offered; don't ask for more.
All wineries sell wine for off-site consumption. Many offer picnic facilities, wine gardens and other dining accommodations. Some host concerts and other special events. Before you visit, know what to expect and what you may need to bring along.
Here are some other suggestions from winery owners:
Don't schedule too many wineries in one day. After two or three tours and tastings, the typical adult may begin to suffer from sensory overload (if not inebriation).
Keep the distance between stops as short as possible. When wineries are more than a few miles apart, incorporate winery tours with visits to other attractions.
Try to plan winery visits to coincide with local events. Wineries within a region may organize festivities at harvest time, or when they place a new vintage on sale.
To locate wineries as you travel, watch billboards along the interstate highways, and ask at state and county visitor information centers for information on local wineries.
State governments like to promote their wineries, but each state does it differently. If you don't know which agency of a state to contact, try the agriculture, commerce and tourism departments.
by CNB