Daytripping from Americus - A Tale of 3 SouthWest Georgia Vineyards - Chapter 3

When you think of Georgia back roads, this is what comes to mind - red clay.  On our way to the third SouthWest Georgia winery, this is exactly what we saw.

It was an overcast, drizzly day, so my photos are a little less crisp than usual.

We passed lots of open spaces.

We saw peanuts, cotton, corn and soybeans growing.

There were lots of cows.

About 40 minutes away from Americus, we saw the sign for Five Points Berries.

It is a 40 acre family farm winery in Mauk, Georgia that has been producing blueberry wine since 2007.

They grow and harvest all their own blueberries.

They use solar power for the drip irrigation system.

Sterling is the master winemaker (and owner) of Five Points Berries and he was our host for the tasting of their delicious wines.  Please make sure you call them for an appointment.  There is no store front and you are visiting their home!

What makes these wines of special interest is that they do not have any added sulphites.  For those of us who are sensitive to sulphites, we can actually enjoy these wines!

We started with "Friends" which is a semi-sweet red wine with 15% alcohol.  It is delicious.

"Wild Blue Yonder" is a pale, dry wine with 16% alcohol.  Also, delicious.

We tried all 6 varieties and because we couldn't choose a favorite we bought all of them.

Of special note, "Blue Flannel", which is a sweet port styled dessert wine just took the Silver Medal in the 2016 Georgia Trustees Competition!

So, if you might enjoy some wonderful LOCAL wine, there are several wineries within a reasonable distance for you to explore.   For more information on Five Points Berries, you can visit their website.

As always, thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast online.  Stay tuned for our next day trip post about a butterfly garden and, yes, another winery!

Daytripping from Americus - A Tale of 3 SouthWest Georgia Vineyards - Chapter 2

When we first came to Americus, in 2002, there was a beautiful golf course right here in Americus known as Wolf Creek.  During the economic downturn, the golf course closed.

In 2013, two brothers and a cousin decided to bring the land back to life, not as a golf course, but as a vineyard.  

It is a beautiful property with over 100 acres of lakes.

I really enjoyed seeing all the wildlife including dragonflies and fish.

I am so easily distracted - back to the muscadine grape vines.

They are planted on the old golf course fairways.

When I visited in August, the grapes were not quite ripe yet.

They have 9 different varieties of grapes planted.

The vines were overflowing with grapes.

They have raspberry vines, too.

Jerry English, one of the owners, was kind enough to show me around.  This is where the grapes turn into wine.  From what I've heard, these bottles are now full of this year's vintage.

We had the privilege to try some of their first attempts from last year's crop.  I can honestly say that it was DELICIOUS!

They have recently come up with their new logo and the Wolf Creek Plantation store will be opening in November 2016.   If you might enjoy some Southern muscadine wine, be sure to check it out. 

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn blog.  Stay tuned for Chapter 3 of A Tale of 3 SouthWest Georgia Vineyards.

Daytripping from Americus - A Tale of 3 SouthWest Georgia Vineyards - Chapter 1

Did you know that there are 3 vineyards within a reasonable drive from Americus, Georgia? 

We set out on several day trips to check them out, just for you.

The first one we visited was Still Pond Vineyard Winery and Distillery.

It was a beautiful drive through the country to reach Arlington, Georgia, about an hour or so from Americus.

We passed acres upon acres of farm fields.

Finally, we came upon the sign for Still Pond Vineyard, just 1.5 miles ahead.

The minute I stepped out of the car, this dragonfly landed at my feet.  I took that as a sign that this was going to be a really good day.

The entry way is charming and we were greeted by Charles Cowarth, the owner and winemaker (and distiller...) who gave us a tour of the facility.

This machine harvests the muscadine grapes.

 This is the machine that actually presses the grapes to extract the juice.

This is where the magic happens, turning the grape juice into delicious wine.

These tanks are enormous.

Besides making wine, Still Pond is also distilling alcohol.

The entire distilling process is really fascinating.

They are producing vodka, brandy and Moonshine at Still Pond.

Legal, moonshine, to be clear.

Here you can see the brandy is aging in barrels, not yet ready for consumption.

Now for the tasting room.  The first thing you notice is the number of awards that have been bestowed upon so many of their wines.

And, the most amazing part of this experience is, your first 7 wine samples are FREE!

You might try the blackberry bliss.

or the gold limited reserve

or the Farmhouse white

or AppleShine

or how about some mead?  I did not know that mead is wine made from honey.  Did you?

So, after all that tasting, we had a hard time deciding what to buy.

We decided to take a walk around the vineyard and check out the pond on the property.  Of course, I was totally distracted by the dragonflies.

A few of them posed for a photo.

It's amazing how many different species there are.

I discovered my new favorite dragonfly, the halloween pennant.

The pond was beautiful with Spanish moss covered trees nearby.

Truly a picture perfect day.

After learning about the muscadines and how they are harvested,

we took a closer look at how they are planted.

You can just imagine how much work it would be to harvest by hand.

They weren't ripe yet when we visited, but, they sure were pretty.

So, the next time you visit us in Americus, consider staying an extra day to visit our friends at Still Pond Vineyard and Winery.

Stay tuned for our next blog post on Vineyard Winery #2!

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast blog.  Check back soon for the next installment of Daytripping from Americus.