12 Spies Vineyards

12 Spies Vineyards is tucked between the North East Mountains to the west and the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest to the east. The sunsets are spectacular and views from the vineyard are stunning. There are many gardens filled with gourds, pumpkins, flowers, and vegetables scattered around the 9-acre property. Bring your camera and enjoy a glass of wine from the covered deck or take a relaxing walk.

The four varieties of grapes grown in the 12 Spies vineyard are Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Tannat, and Traminette. All of these grapes grow well in the climate and altitude of Rabun Gap, Georgia. In addition, 12 Spies searches for grapes from the best vineyards for blending and to make their Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Seyval Blanc.

We offer a range of sweet to semi-dry to dry wines. Because individual tastes vary so much, with wine there is no right or wrong. You are your own expert when it comes to preference of sweet or dry.

This is our spot of Heaven on earth, and it is our wish that you will join us at 12 Spies Vineyards and enjoy our fine Georgia wines.

Address: 550 Black Branch Road Rabun Gap, GA 30568

Phone: (706) 490-0890

Website: http://www.12spiesvineyards.com/

CeNita Farm Family Estate Winery

Greg & Carol started CeNita Vineyards & Winery in 2008. Carol suggested combining their parent's names to name the Farm and when she tried her parent's names, Barbara & Lanier, the best she could come up with was LaBera. But Greg's parent's names, Cecil & Juanita, seems to fit: CeNita. Thus began Greg & Carol's AdVenture of growing wine.

In 2010 Cecil passed and Juanita wanted to build the Event Venue in Cecil's honor in order to have a place for her grandchildren to marry and her family to gather.

Greg and Carol continued to grow and make Estate wines. 2015 marked the grand opening of CeNita's Tasting Room to the public.

CeNita Vines are planted on the site of our Family's first Dairy. The soil is perfect for growing balanced wines. Our families have been farming for 4 generations. Understanding the soil, climate and growing seasons is paramount in the making (growing) of wine. Good wine must start with good grapes.

Our Handcrafted Estate Wines are made from the finest of Vinifera & Hybrid Vines. Greg and Carol Crumley strive to grow the finest fruit and let the vintage speak for itself. Drop by and Make a Memory.

Address: 591 Dock Dorsey Road, Cleveland, GA 30528

Phone: (706) 865-7478

Website: https://cenitawinery.com/

Creature Comfort Brewery

Creature Comforts was founded by people passionate about starting a craft brewery in Athens, GA, a town that we love, and that has the potential to be a craft beer hub and destination for the South East. The first piece of the puzzle was David Stein, who at the time was the head brewer at Twain's Billiards & Tap, a well-known brewpub in Decatur, GA. David was a homebrewer turned pro, whose passion for craft beer had moved him through working at some of the top craft beer establishments. David was using the name Creature Comforts for his homebrews, and that name became the foundation for the brewery we run today. David quickly brought on his friend Adam Beauchamp, who was in his seventh year of brewing beer at Sweetwater Brewing Company in Atlanta, GA, a brewery he began working at after leaving a Ph.D. in Genetics program at Emory. Adam himself was an accomplished home-brewer, and he had a wealth of experience running a production brewery.

With the help of a craft beer enthusiast and local Athens, GA businessman, Derek Imes, we began building Creature Comforts in a beautiful 13,000 square foot historic warehouse building in downtown Athens. The building was originally built in the 1940's as a Chevy dealership and later became Snow Tire Co., before Creature Comforts took over. Building in a 1940's warehouse presented a lot of challenges as well as many wonderful opportunities. One such opportunity was the chance to salvage and reclaim the old wood from the building that was subsequently refinished and then put back into the brewery in the form of bar tops, tables, wall paneling, and ceilings. The final result, is a brewery that has won an award for outstanding rehabilitation by the Athens Heritage Foundation and something that we are extremely proud to share with the world.

Address: 271 W Hancock Ave, Athens, GA 30601

Phone: (706) 410-1043

Website: http://www.creaturecomfortsbeer.com/

Currahee Vineyards

In 2008 Marvin Dunson began to think about using the family farm to produce wines. The family farm, at the base of beautiful Currahee Mountain, had once been an apple orchard owned by Marvin's parents. By 2009 planting had begun that would ultimately lead to award-winning wines. Marvin's daughter, Ashley, was very instrumental in getting it all started.

The first wine that Marvin produced was Sweet Cheryl, a sweet red muscadine wine, in memory of his wife who died of cancer before ever seeing the vineyards and winery. The next three to be produced were also muscadine wines—3 Mile White, Golden Harvest, and Currahee Rose.

Our portfolio has now grown to over 12 wines, three of which have won INDY (Indy International Wine Competition) medals—Ole Blue, Blanc du Bois, and 3 Mile White. We are very excited about 2017 for several reasons. Over the past two years, we have really started to expand our portfolio. New slushy mixes have been launched, Destiny, a dry red blend, and Currahee Red, a semi-dry red wine, were both released in 2016.

At the end of the day, we really wanted to spend less time talking "about us" on the website and spend more time expressing our gratitude and thankfulness to our customers. Everything we do—from making wines, hosting private events, to parties at the vineyard—all is done to enable our customers to have fun and make or relive wonderful memories.

Come for a visit and enjoy the vineyards, beautiful views, picnics, our wines, and become a part of the Currahee family.

Address: 3301 West Currahee, Toccoa, GA 30577

Phone: (706) 768-5383

Website: http://www.curraheevineyards.com/

Moonrise Distillery

We’re doing things at Moonrise Distillery like they’ve been done since the early 1950s. While at times it seems like an old-fashioned, inefficient process, our use of tried and true methods and time-consuming double-distillation removes impurities for more refined sipping bourbon and rye whiskey. And unlike most distillers, we let our spirits tell us when they are ready - aging by taste and not by time.

Pairing the spirit with the perfect barrel is imperative to producing the soft butter and vanilla notes characteristic of Moonrise Georgia Bourbon and Rye Whiskey. The proper amount of “toast” and “char” open pores in the brand new American white oak and caramelizes the natural sugars in the wood. And of course, the forest in our barrels has first aged a minimum of 9 months outdoors.

Our bourbon and rye products enjoy national and international recognition and are currently in distribution across seven states. First produced in 2013, the aged products were introduced to the market after three full years of aging in 30-gallon barrels in 2017.

Since their introduction, the spirits have won 3 gold medals in international competitions at the Global Spirit Awards in Las Vegas, MicroLiquor Spirit awards in Los Angelos, and the International Spirit Competition in New York City. Both the bourbon and rye have recently been rated 92 and 90, respectively by Tasting Panel Magazine - the authority in the spirit market.

Address: 31 Webb Rd, PO Box 829, Clayton, GA 30525

Phone: (844) 994.4759

Website: https://moonrisedistillery.com/

Stonewall Creek Vineyards

In 2004 owners Carl and Carla Fackler purchased 15 acres in a tired, old apple orchard four miles west of Tiger. On the recommendation of John Ezzard, Tiger Mountain farms owner, began growing vines. When Carl retired in 2007, they directed their efforts to nurture grapes and learning to make wine. They sold our first harvest in 2008 to Tiger Mountain Vineyards and continued to work closely with them until 2011, when they decided, with the Ezzards’ blessing, to proceed with their own winery.

They made their first wines in 2011 and, in August 2012, opened the farm winery for tastings with just 60 cases of two wines—a white (Boriana) and a rosé (Yukari), both named for our daughters-in-law. They would later release their first reds in 2013—Cabernet Franc and a Malbec blend (Three Eagles), named for their three Eagle Scout sons.

Address: 323 Standing Deer Lane, Tiger, GA 30576

Phone: (706) 212-0584

Website: https://stonewallcreek.com/

Terrapin Brewery

Terrapin Beer Co. began as a daydream between founders John Cochran and Spike Buckowski, who met while working for a microbrewery in Atlanta.

The two recognized that they had something to contribute to the brewing industry in the southeast, and began crafting recipes. In April of 2002, Rye Pale Ale made its first appearance in Athens, GA. Only a short six months later, Rye made it to Denver for GABF, where John and Spike took home a Gold Medal for the beer in the American Pale Ale Category.

In 2007, Terrapin Beer Co. moved into its current location on Newton Bridge Road in Athens, and set out to share its unique beers with its hometown and the rest of the Southeast. Inspired by the creative culture of Athens, Terrapin began to add to its beer line up, with unique beers like W-n-B, Hopsecutioner, and so many others. Today, Rye Pale Ale is accompanied by six other year-round beers, four seasonal sessions, and at least a dozen special projects, side projects, and collaborations.

The company and its employees continue to live by Terrapin’s mission statement: to create unique experiences through the passionate brewing of the finest quality craft beers. Whether you’re joining us for a brewery tour at our tasting room, drinking a Hopsecutioner at your favorite watering hole, sipping some Up-Hi on your back porch, or enjoying a RecreationAle after a long day on the trail, we hope you appreciate the dedication we’ve put in for 14 years (and counting!)

What started as two guys and a 25 barrel brewhouse has grown into what is affectionately known as the Terrapin Tribe, that starts with our employees, our distributor partners, the folks that sell our beer, and of course, each and every person that has supported Terrapin’s growth as a brewery by drinking our beers!

Address: 265 Newton Bridge Road Athens, GA 30607

Phone: (706) 549-3377

Website: https://terrapinbeer.com/

Tiger Mountain Vineyard

Dr. John Ezzard began planting European vinifera grapes in 1995 on his five-generation-old farm at Tiger Mountain where he was born. He and his wife Martha, with the assistance of a successful Virginia vineyard, carefully selected the varieties of grapes suited to the climate of the southern Blue Ridge, creating the first vinifera vineyard in the state. Tiger Mountain Vineyards now grows six French vinifera varieties: Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Mourvedre, Petit Manseng, Tannat, and Viognier, as well as the Portuguese Touriga Nacional. In addition to the European varieties, John also planted the American Norton grape, native to Virginia. The first Norton vines were rooted from Virginia cuttings. Nine acres in total were planted, all by hand. Now, Martha, an environmental lawyer and author, is focusing on growing the hardy Norton grapes free of chemicals.
John, our winemaker, is best known for introducing Petit Manseng to the state of Georgia. Called "a new southern classic" by Wines and Vines Magazine (Nov. 2011), Petit Manseng is ideally suited to the regions terroir. Tiger Mountain Vineyards is currently the only producer of this unique white wine in Georgia.
A divided trellis system allows an abundance of sun and air to move through the vines. The 2,000 foot altitude, mineral-rich soils and well-drained slopes are the perfect terroir for impeccable fruit.