Georgia
Atlanta Is Finally Selling Local Georgia Wine
There is now a place to find locally made Georgia wine in the city.
Vine Fine Wine in Decatur is the first wine shop to stock the state’s wine. Earlier this February, Eater Atlanta sparked a discussion in the wine community about why Atlanta restaurants don’t serve Georgia wine. Since then, Cloudland Vineyards and Winery in Buford, Georgia, has landed three of its wines at the Decatur shop, including a Marsanne skin-contact white wine, a pet-nat bubbly made from chardonnay, and a red wine made with a local hybrid called lomanto. All are priced at around $30.
“It seemed like a no-brainer for us,” says Madeline Long, co-owner of Vine Fine Wine. “We have local sourdough crackers, local honey, local ceramics … it only seemed natural to extend that to wine.”
Long and her husband Sam Pilch opened the Decatur shop in April. Since then, Long says many people have inquired about local wine. The shop only takes on organic and sustainable farming wines, which is hard to find in Georgia. Cloudland Vineyards is one of the only wineries in the state making unfined and unfiltered, natural wines with some organic farming, bringing Georgia winemaking up to speed with modern times.
Quality and consumer demand are the biggest reasons why local wines don’t make an appearance in the city. The next reason is an information gap on distribution. According to the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, winemakers with a Georgia Farm Winery License may sell their wines directly to restaurants. A wholesaler license allows them to self-distribute in Georgia, eliminating the need for a distributor. This is a major missing piece of the puzzle for restaurant sommeliers and wine shop owners who believe they need a distributor to buy Georgia wine for their inventory.
North Georgia is an agritourism destination, from pumpkin patches and orchards to vineyards. Most of the sales from these farms happen by direct-to-consumer business, meaning visitors buy directly from the farms. Wineries with a wholesaler license can sell to Atlanta shops and restaurants, albeit taking a profit hit on wholesale price. But there are other benefits.
“Wholesale is a really good way of getting people interested in our product,” says Blessy Devasia, general manager and assistant winemaker at Cloudland Vineyards and Winery, which opened in 2020. “There aren’t enough Georgia wines on wine lists because there weren’t a lot of good Georgia wines out there that were worth being on the list.”
Devasia says that is changing. Sean Wilburn, owner and winemaker at Cloudland (formerly Chateau Elan and Biltmore), and Devasia have a minimal intervention and organic approach to winemaking in Georgia. The plots for the lomanto and villard blanc grapes are organically managed — which means they are sprayed minimally during the growing season with an organic spray to control disease pressure. The duo hopes the vineyard will become regenerative organic certified next year.
“People see Georgia wine and they run away,” says Devasia. “People say, ‘I tried a Georgia cab in the ’80s and it was terrible.’ And they never try a local wine again. We’ve come a long way from that. I want to create enough confidence where people can say, ‘Wow, they’re making some great wine.’”
As for the taste, Cloudland’s skin-contact Marsanne is the most unique of the lineup with a gold color and notes of orange peel, cantaloupe, nutmeg, honey, grilled apricots, and herbs. The pet-nat is the most easy-going and refreshing with notes of green apples, pears, and lemons.
“People are interested in trying new things and I think people want Georgia wine to succeed,” says Long. “If they’re up for it, I say give it a try, at the very least.”
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Georgia
Dawg Treats: Intel on 5-star Georgia targets, prep for Clemson
![Dawg Treats: Intel on 5-star Georgia targets, prep for Clemson Dawg Treats: Intel on 5-star Georgia targets, prep for Clemson](https://on3static.com/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/03/11093412/dog-treats.png)
Georgia is set to take on Clemson in just a few days. With that on the horizion, DawgsHQ is delivering intel on how the Bulldog staff is using the neutral-site game for recruiting, some big-time targets in attendance, and UGA’s preparations for the Tigers.
Georgia
Coalition demands removal of Georgia election board members
![Coalition demands removal of Georgia election board members Coalition demands removal of Georgia election board members](https://nowhabersham.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Georgia-State-Election-Board.jpeg)
Three members of Georgia’s State Election Board face demands for their removal from the Board. A coalition of elected officials, clergy, and civil rights leaders is calling for the trio to be replaced following allegations that they violated the Code of Ethics and Georgia Open Meetings Act.
The coalition has scheduled a press conference for Monday, August 26, to demand the immediate removal of GOP board members Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares, and Janelle King.
State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes filed a formal complaint against them last week with Gov. Brian Kemp. In his complaint, Parkes alleges the trio violated the Code of Ethics and the Georgia Open Meetings Act.
The press conference comes amid concerns about the integrity of Georgia’s elections.
The new rules passed by the Republican majority will impact how elections are run and certified in November.
In a press release, the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus says one of the “most dangerous rules” is intended to give officials wide discretion to delay certification for any reason or even to refuse to certify, threatening to “throw Georgia’s November elections into chaos across the state.”
“This is in direct conflict with Georgia law, which states in multiple places that local elections officials ‘shall’ certify elections, meaning their duties are mandatory, not discretionary,” the Caucus says.
The press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the State Capitol.
Georgia
Georgia leaders ask Kemp to take action against Trump-backed State Election Board members
![Georgia leaders ask Kemp to take action against Trump-backed State Election Board members Georgia leaders ask Kemp to take action against Trump-backed State Election Board members](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox5atlanta.com/www.fox5atlanta.com/content/uploads/2022/05/1280/720/869fe944-snapshot-2-e1651870050289.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
ATLANTA – A group of Georgia lawmakers and civil rights leaders are calling for Gov. Brian Kemp to take action against three Trump-backed members of the State Election Board.
This comes after changes to state policies many believe could cause a delay in the certification of election results in November.
The three members in question, Janelle King, Rick Jeffares and Dr. Janice Johnston, are accused of violating the state’s open meetings act and facing ethics complaints stemming from the approval of changes that would now require local election boards to look for discrepancies before they can certify results.
The changes made so close to Election Day have drawn criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Sen. Nabilah Islam-Parkes (D-Dist. 7), who filed that complaint, says she doesn’t believe they have the authority to make those kinds of changes.
“The election board is supposed to certify election results and so passing illegal rules to undermine the integrity of our elections is extremely concerning,” said Sen. Islam-Parkes. “So, I am proud to stand with clergy and other elected lawmakers to stand against these series of rules that the election board is passing.”
Islam-Parkes says she hasn’t heard back from Gov. Kemp’s office about the complaint she filed, but hopes he will “do the right thing”.
FOX 5 Atlanta reached out to Gov. Kemp independently. We’re also still waiting to hear back.
Islam-Parkes says she will hold a press conference on the matter at the Georgia State Capitol at 10 a.m. on Monday.
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