When Georgia is mentioned in wine-centric circles, the discussion is usually centered on the Eastern European nation, where the traditional clay amphora fermentation process is the stuff of reverent legends. But the conversations about our own Georgia here in the U.S.A, though, consistently run dry.
By 1880, Georgia was the sixth-largest winegrowing state in the country, with over 20,000 acres of land devoted to grapes. But the Peach State’s wine dreams died on the vine when Prohibition swooped in early: Alcohol became illegal in the state in 1907, over a decade before it became a national edict in 1920. This legislation also overstayed its welcome and wasn’t given the boot until two years after the rest of the country repealed the 19th Amendment. Combined, this created one of the longest state-wide dry spells in the country.
But today, the wine industry in Northern Georgia is making up for lost time, and catching up quickly.
Muscadine’s Moment
California has robust Cabernet Sauvignon, Oregon prized Pinot Noir, and Long Island helped to usher in the golden age of rosé. But Georgia? It’s become known for its state grape: the all-American Muscadine, a prolific grape indigenous to the American Southeast with a propensity for late-summer aromas and flavors beneath bitter skin.
“There’s no one Muscadine,” says Jane Garvey, a founding member of the Georgia Trustees Wine & Spirits Competition. “There are over 300 cultivars; someone is going to tell you they all taste alike. They do not.” But what these wines do have
