Wine - In Georgia?

I keep trying to put together some good content for the next couple of days, but I am continually distracted by all sorts of things, as I am back here in Atlanta, only for a day or two, and then off to North Carolina for a family reunion where I will meet half of where I come from for the first time..... I have a lot weighing on my mind, and I have some decisions to make, so the words aren't flowing freely like they usually do. They are slowly making their way onto my page.....onto my computer.... type .... delete... type ... backspace.... Okay, I think I have it. Here goes.......

Some time ago I traveled to the North Georgia Mountains where I did a piece for a magazine on local wine, so I spent a lazy Sunday afternoon driving north up I-75 to Crane Creek Vineyards. Aside from a small college, in the town that I have now since forgotten it's name, not much is up there. It is farms.....agriculture... and more farms.... I assume this is how it has always has been up there.... Fields of cotton, corn, and the other commodoties that have supported the local communities for centuries. Then a few daring individuals said, "Let's make some wine" - Why not? There are a dozen or so vineyards that drape these mountains and roll through the foothills and valleys of North Georgia that put out a decent quality wine.

The emergence of quality wine making in regions aside from California, and Europe is a relatively new concept. While I am not typically a fan of Australian wines, they have some top notch wines - both red and white, and they have mastered Shiraz. The same can be said about South America, and their love affair with Malbecs. Me, I love Chilean red wines. Now, I am not going to go the extreme of saying that the wine I have tried on a regional level here in the American South is comparable to the heavy hitters on the other side of the country - the one's in Napa, Sonoma and the Russian River Valleys. This, however, isn't necessarily a bad thing. The climates are drastically different, thus the grapes are different, and you can tell. Crane Creek didn't have a full bodied, incredibly robust red wine like the kind I prefer to eat with a nice piece of red meat, but they had wines with interesting complexities, using grapes I had never heard of. I have included that piece below - I hope you enjoy.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Nestled in the foothills of the Southern Appalachian Trail is a vineyard that sits two thousand feet above sea level in Brasstown Valley - the silhouette of Georgia's tallest peaks. I visited this quaint establishment on a rainy day in early April when the clouds sat like blankets on the nearby hillsides and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The trip to Crane Creek Vineyards is a quick two hour drive through the Georgia countryside. Situated in its' own little world in the sleepy, quasi-college town of Young Harris. The vineyard, founded by Eric Seifarth grows an expansive variety of grapes; both new and old world varietals ranging from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay, to new world varietals of Norton, Catawba, and the recently engineered Chardonel, which is a hybrid Chardonnay grape that was created in the labs of Cornell University.
Eric Seifarth, a native Atlantian, spent several tours of his career in the Army in the northern countryside of Italy after his graduation from West Point. Exposed and educated in an old family orientated cultural, which cherish there food and wine, Seifarth decided to take the knowledge he had gained in the countryside of Tuscany and start anew; an entirely new, foreign career. Seifarth's vineyard, opened 13 years ago, and was originally merely a supplier of grapes to local vintners, but has since grown into a full service vineyard with, a tasting room, and a guest house that sits on the side of a knoll overlooking a pond stocked with fish, and more grape vine draped hills.
Seifarth commenced to tell me the story of how he and his wife met, while she was working for the Army as a veterinarian, which she still practices to date. The couple, which purchased the land in 1995 lived in the charming farmhouse that was built in 1886, which has since been refurbished and is home to the retail shop, and tasting room.

Seifarth's wines are what he calls "accessible", and for any number of palates. For being a mid to small sized vineyard, in a state not necessarily known for it's wine, Crane Creek produces a surprising number of varietals. For reds, they offer a Claret, their Brasstown Red, which is a Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend, and a Norton, which is a full bodied bold and hearty wine (atleast bold for this region) perfect for the enjoyment of a steak dinner. For whites they have their Enotah, which is an okay Chardonel, very reminiscent of California style chardonnays. Additionally they have a blush and a Vidal Blanc which is an off dry, fruity, fresh, and grassy wine that begs to be drunk on the porch of a blazing summer day. While being walked through the production process, and through the barn, festooned with Oak and stainless steel casks, I was offered a tasting of each variety alongside other visitors, and with each we were pleasantly surprised. All of the wines had a surprising balance to them, several were fruit forward, while others were dryer. Tannins, which often contribute a sharp, overarching imbalance to young reds, were unexpectedly nonexistent, and this anomaly he attributed to the malolactic fermentation (the wine's secondary fermentation).
Noting their geographic location in north Georgia, home to some of the world's worst soil, I was beyond curious in wanting to know the effect the infamous Georgia red clay had on the production and the outcome of the wine, and Seifarth exclaimed, "Oh, the grapes, they love the clay. Perhaps too much. The Georgia red clay retains a ton of moisture, which results in absorption of water that is completely dissimilar to places like Sonoma and Napa Valley and other semi-arid places." This response led to my next question regarding the recent and seemingly ongoing drought that has plagued this part of the country over the last year. He commented, "The drought was beneficial for me, and every other vineyard in this part of the country. It allowed us to monitor the development of the fruit unlike ever before. I have a feeling that the 2007 season is going to yield our best season yet."
Well, we shall soon find out, since the 2008 vintage is virtually ready to be bottled, and to that I can attest. I had the opportunity to try the Sevyl Blanc right out of the stainless steel barrel, where it has been maturing for months. This is their first vintage for this variety, and it is what Seifarth is most eager about. It is an old world variety that was created in the 1880's and was at one point an extremely popular grape for producing lush whites. The crisp wine, Seifarth describes as, "becoming dry, austere and a somewhat flinty white, much like a good northern European Sauvignon Blanc. Here at Crane Creek we like to produce a very simple, classic style. It is a 100% stainless steel fermentation aging and it is a perfect match with fish dishes and chicken or veal with lemony piccata sauces."
I will admit up front that I was skeptical and simply unconvinced that reputable vineyards even existed in the state of Georgia. On the rainy day that I made the trip up I-575 to Crane Creek Vineyards, I was reluctant and even contemplated delaying the trip for a spring day when the sun was out and the flowers were blooming. I realized the beauty of the drive itself is almost worth it, though wait until you are there; the wine will send your taste buds into a frenzy, and will undoubtedly test all of your senses with an assortment of distinct flavors. Dreams that were dreamt in the Italian countryside have been born in a very distant land to a man with a vision and a passion to follow them. La Dolce Vita - the sweet life seems to flow from every glass, which seems quite appropriate. After all, their motto, "Wine is proof that God loves us", reigns so very true.