Georgia Wine Country and Newly Added Georgia Wine Tasting Notes plus Points of Interest from Florida

We conducted a tasting of the best Georgia grown wines we could find in the Northern Atlanta area and have added those tasting notes, evaluations and scores at the bottom of this blog post which was originally written upon return from our trip south in April 2026. Here is the original travelogue of our recent trip to Bradenton and back with yesterday’s tasting added at the end.

We started our trip south on March 4th and spent the night in Chattanooga TN which is exactly the halfway point between Bradenton FL and Ann Arbor MI. However, we stopped for a few days in Atlanta to visit friends, enjoy the culinary scene, play a little golf and visit some wineries.

Before we left Ann Arbor, I tried many times to contact various wineries located near Northern Atlanta but struck out with almost all of them. I was interested in three things. Did any of the wineries make wine from Georgia grapes, did any winery grow hybrids, PIWI’s or native varieties and did any winery make dry red table wines from Georgia grapes? So, armed with nothing other than what I could glean from various websites, we stopped at several wineries. We did find some Georgia grown wines made from highly disease resistant cultivars at all of the wineries we visited. Other than Qualusi who grow their own grapes, many of the other wineries we visited in Georgia mainly sell California wines with a few Georgia grown almost as an afterthought. Unlike Missouri where locally grown and locally made is the gospel, most of the Georgia wineries seem to believe that it is easier to slap their label on a $10 bottle of California wine and sell it for $40 than it is to produce an excellent bottle of Georgia wine and sell it for $20-$30. I think that they believe that “local” is a bad word implying lesser quality.

CHATEAU MEICHTRY was our first stop well off the beaten path. It is quite a large impressively modern winery much like those on Old Mission Peninsula in Northern Michigan. They offer at least a dozen wines but we focused on those grown on site or from local grapes grown nearby. Quill (dry white Cayuga) is brilliantly clean and bright with a big aromatic nose with substantial fruit and mouth feel to the finish. Vidal (estate grown) also shows remarkable fruit purity fresh citrus scents and massive green apple / green herb nuances. It is very expressive with a long fat finish. George’s Cuvee (90% Norton / 10% Noiret) has good color and a bit of marmalade in the nose. The palate is big and oaky with a clean tannic finish. It is quite substantial and offers up what I’d hoped to find in my quest for Georgia wine. Sussen Roots (Chambourcin) was a dismal wine that has all kinds of problems including VA. The hostess opened a second bottle, same. We did not taste it. Shooter Ray Red (estate Norton) like the George’s Cuvee, the experience here is fine pure Norton bouquet. Good mid palate and a fine bitter finish. Though a tad sweet, it is well balanced and enjoyable.

We ran into the owner/winemaker Justin McNeill who explained that the Sussen Roots was not a wine he made and they were offering it for sale as a favor to a nearby winery. So, overall, we liked the wines and look forward to a comparative tasting of the other wines we purchased.

BUCKLEY VINEYARDS is just up the road from Ch. Meichtry. The wine quality was good enough but mostly sweet and white. So I did not buy any to include in our tasting. Below is what we tasted along with a pleasant meat and cheese assortment that we put together from what was offered in the tasting room. Amber (Vidal Blanc) is an “orange wine” fermented and aged on the skins in oak barrels. Interesting concept to increase character and depth, unfortunately, at the expense of fresh fruit essence. Quattro (Black Spanish Semi Sweet red) is made from locally grown Lenoir which is a grape variety native to Texas and seems to do well in both Georgia and North Carolina. It has a pleasant native fresh nose, ample body and enough acidity to keep the suss (residual sugar) in check Sweet Mickey (Carlos Muscadine) has a huge muscat nose with lots of native wildness. It beautifully tastes like grapes! By the way, this is a grape variety that grows as far south as mid-Florida. Cabernet Franc Reserve (estate grown) is a clean well made, balanced version that does identify as Cabernet Franc. I felt is was a pretty small wine for $66, so I declined to buy any for our tasting.

QUALUSI VINEYARDS is located in the middle of a modern housing development. The owner, Emilee Gilbert, who also works the tasting bar explained that she and her husband love wine and that the location is ideal for growing grapes yet close enough to Atlanta to be viable as a residential community. She is remarkably knowledgeable reminding us of the old days when tasting rooms were often hosted by an owner, winemaker or horticulturist. 2022 Blanc du Bois (estate grown dry white) is a University of Florida hybrid. It is pure, fresh, complex, with nice accentuating terpenes lifting the nose while enhancing great depth and rich rich finish. Toccoa (estate grown Blanc du Bois semi dry white) exemplifies the best elements of the Blanc du Bois while tempering its very fresh acidity. Ella (estate grown Blanc du Bois sweet white) is also expressive, fresh, fine and clean. Judicious use of suss does not detract. Just sweet enough to balance it out with a juicy mouth feel. 2019 Crimson Cabernet (estate grown) is a hybrid variety that shows a gorgeous Cabernet nose. However, it is pretty lean, light and acidic. I think it would be much better if blended with a fatter riper varietal such as Norton. 2022 Norton (estate grown) has a very clean Vinifera-like nose. Big texture and tannin with a grand rich finish. Yes, it wouldn’t take a lot of this Norton to fatten up that Crimson Cab. Norton Port-like wine 18% abv shows the same pure nose, rich middle and a clean finish. It is a good example of the Ruby Port style.

BIG DOOR VINEYARDS is quite a facility. First of all, the lay of the land is quintessential vineyard. It is a large bowl shaped ravine in which they’ve planted vines parallel to the ridge. Once you’ve gotten your wine, you are free to take it anywhere on the property to taste. Chardonnel is a hybrid cross between Seyval and Chardonnay. It has many resistant capabilities which allow it to adapt to the Georgia terroir yet it generally tastes like Chardonnay. This one if fresh, clean with a hint of green herb and a generous full palate nicely brightened up with crisp citrus-like acidity and minerality not unlike French Chablis. Lenoir as mentioned above is a Texas grape variety. Here it is fine, floral, Pimm’s cup-like marmalade and a pale transparent color. Tasting much better than it looks, the flavor is not washed out but acturlly quite vital. Lomato is a hybrid unique to this winery. It has Bing cherry in the nose with a dusty, spicy, earthy complex demeanor that really grows on you. The more of it I drink the better I like it. Best Friends is a blend of the two above wines. Absolutely, it is better than the sum of its parts!

CLOUDLAND VINEYARDS + WINERY is a tiny winery well east of the others we visited. Our host, Blesty, had a remarkable knowledge of the horticulture and winemaking behind the wines. Natty Sparkling was a great way to start our tasting. It is a Pet Nat Chardonnay with bright, real fresh lemon aromas and a very crisp cider-like flavor keeping it inviting and invigorating. Chardonnay has yellow fruit, earth and high acidity. Probably better suited to Pet Nat than table wine. Rosé (Cab Franc) is huge! It is full of rich red wine smells and flavors with strawberry and yellow pear nuances. Wildflower is a Petit Manseng “orange wine” which is pretty chunky without much class or style. Villard Blanc (not to be confused with Vidal Blanc) with a very aromatic citrus nose and a fat round cherry-like finish. Blesty said they get something like 8 tons per acre! How is that possible? 2021 Tannat is Georgia grown on the Dalhonega Plateau AVA. It is a really nice wine with richer than rich texture. It is remarkably more California-like than any of the other reds we tasted with tons of tannin among the abundant black fruit. Unfortunately, they had none for sale so it will not be included in our tasting.

FLORIDA

After some golf and very good cuisine at Carbonara Trattoria in Dunwoody, we headed south stopping at Waffle House in Ashburn GA. Gregg Phillips has got it right! Best breakfast, best service of the entire trip. Arriving in Bradenton on March 8th. Our first night we ate at Anna Maria’s Oyster Bar. We liked it so well that it turned out to become our hangout. As a guy who loves oysters but very wary (I’ve gotten sick several times) it was so wonderful to be able to dive in without a worry. They serve them literally by the boat load so, always fresh and uncontaminated. We did have one meal that was not to our liking but, I suspect it is not the fault of the kitchen. We ordered Cobia because neither of us had ever eaten it. My sister, who worked in a seafood restaurant, says they served it to rave reviews. The first piece they brought was medium-well and so dry and tough as to be inedible. The kitchen brought another cooked a bit under medium. Still too dry. Without even asking, they took both off the bill. I’ve come to the conclusion that unless you love well done steaks, Cobia is like Sockeye Salmon, Tuna, Swordfish etc. that can only be served raw, as sushi, lox, ceviche or maybe just seared but not cooked. What is your opinion and experience with Cobia? We found several “crab shack” like restaurants some in town some out by the water. The Cortez Clam Factory serves fresh and cooked clams, of course, but on Wednesday’s after 5:00 pm you can order a pretty decent sized live Maine Lobster for $38. The lobsters were super succulent and as tasty as they get. Pier 22 was good, more or less like Charlie’s Crab. We loved the Beach House out on the island where we had huge stone crab claws and grouper. It is pretty pricy but not a bad value. They have valet parking which is good because there is almost no public parking on Anna Maria Island. Clancy’s Bar was a great lunch stop. Cheap drinks, tasty sandwiches and a fun atmosphere worked well. We tried to get into Star Fishery but it always was packed and looked like at least an hour wait. Just a few hundred yards down the shore is Swordfish Grill located in among the commercial fishing boat docks. It is an interesting place to eat. The food was decent and the smell of the ocean was quite potent in a good way epitomizing Florida eating.

On March 27th we drove up to St. Pete’s beach for our grand nephew’s wedding. We had a delicious meal at Crabby Bill’s. Service was top notch, oysters as fresh as they get and the soft shell crab was good sized and the plumpest freshest tasting crab in memory. The Rum Runners located on the beach next to the Sirata Beach Resort where we stayed had excellent peel-’n-eat shrimp and very good sandwiches.

Coming back we stayed overnight in Chattanooga again. We had a pizza from Johnathan’s Grill which was the best pizza we’d had since leaving West Michigan.

Thankfully, gas prices weren’t too bad. I think $3.81 at Walmart in Bradenton was the most we paid during the entire trip. By the way, in Florida and Atlanta, use your GPS at all times. Traffic is horrible down south and the GPS will give you alternate routes to avoid the worst of it.

Below are the wines we brought back to Michigan and have been looking forward to tasting with our local group.

TASTING 9/30/2026

Warm Up

2023 Cloudland Winery Lumpkin County Cabernet Franc Rosé (12% abv) GA was the only wine we tasted that was made from Vinifera grapes. With all the difficulty growing Vinifera in Georgia, I was expecting a somewhat green tasting wine. What I got was a wonderfully fresh, demonstratively varietal Cab Franc with strawberry-like fruit and rich texture with enough red wine body and depth to serve with a variety of savory foods. It was a great introduction to Georgia wine for our group. Bravo!

White Wine

1. Chateau Meichtry “Quill” Cayuga (13% abv) GA is nearly water white in color but packs a brilliantly clean, pleasant citrus flavor with refreshing fruitiness throughout. My score 80, group score 68.

2. 2023 Qualusi (made at Ch Meichtry) Blanc de Bois (12.9% abv) GA possesses lots of very aromatic terpenes creating an emphatically Muscat-like aroma with subtleties of not only apricot and passionfruit but aromatic green herbs like rosemary too. Fresh and dry on the palate too. My score 90, group score 78.

3. Big Door Vyds & Winery Chardonnel (13.5% abv) GA seems a bit tired compared to the previous two wines but it does offer up ripe, rich and complex components. My score 75, group score 71.

4. 2021 Cloudland Hall County Villard Blanc (10.8% abv) GA surprised everyone that the wine with the lightest alcohol content was the most full bodied and rich textured. And, at five years old, the fruit was remarkably fresh and bright complimented by a roasted lemon peel-like complexity trailing off with full mouth feel and long fruit finish. My score 90, group score 84.

   Red Wines

5. Big Door Vyds & Winery Lomato (14% abv) GA shows finesse and elegance with density as wall as a distinct nod to its native Texas origins. Rich red color and nice texture. My score 89, group score 84.

6. Big Door Vyds & Winery “Best Friends” Lomato/Lenoir blend (14% abv) GA everything offered by the Lomato above with a full deeper layer of richness, complexity while showing a very pleasant balance of fat fruit and texture. My score 91, group score 84.

7. 2022 Qualusi (made by Ch Meichtry) Norton (13.5% abv) AMERICAN came across in this tasting like a Wagner Family Cab among other Napa Cabs. The classy American oak influence matched perfectly with the potent wild fruit of the Norton. This wine starts and finishes with hedonistic pleasure all the way through that can be described as simply DEEELiCOUS! I am a bit perplexed by the “American” AVA. I could swear that Emilee had told us it was estate grown. I’ll look into that and see if they got grapes, wine, juice or concentrate from another state. My score 100, group score 95.

8. Chateau Meichtry “George’s Cuvee” Norton/Noiret blend (13.9% abv) GA was in my opinion, the finest, classiest wine of the tasting. Complex nuances of forest floor, tobacco, and compost stood a bookends to the very concentrated rich fruit of the native and hybrid grapes. It also had the silkiest and most palate gripping tannin in the finish. My score 95, group score 82.

   Conclusion

   It would be an understatement that not all of our group scores as generously as I do. I am constantly being accused of being that guy who never tasted a wine he didn’t like. True enough! What caught my attention more yesterday than anything else was how good they tasted after drinking mostly wines from California and Europe for the past six months since our foray into Georgia wine country. The whites prue and fresh, the rosé much more than a pretty face, and the reds are ripe, deep colored and fine textured. I believe that Georgia has the potential, like Missouri to make and market highly respected wines from disease resistant hybrids and native varieties. I see not reason to hide behind California wines in these tasting rooms.

Enjoy in Good Health,

A Brian Cain, the Michigan VIntner