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Pairing for perfection

Dinner’s ready at Persimmon Creek Vineyards. (Photo by Ingrid Krampe/Bella Vita Fotografie.)

Recipes from Georgia’s wineries

BY JANE F. GARVEY

Wine is the food-lover’s beverage. When served with the proper cuisine, wine enhances the taste of food, and vice versa. So, how do Georgia’s wineries operate to pair their wines with food?

At the top of the heap are wineries that have on-site chefs and full-blown restaurants. That’s Habersham Vineyards & Winery, Montaluce and Château Élan, while Crane Creek Vineyards has a chef on staff.

With seven restaurants on board, Château Élan offers dining ranging from casual to fine and even spa dining, the latter at Fleur-de-Lis, which has its own chef, Srita Pettus. Executive Chef Marc Suennemann, a native of Germany, oversees a wide-ranging culinary program that runs from classic Southern to classic French.

Habersham’s Nacoochee Grill is headed by Chef Michael Shepherd, who has restored the restaurant’s signature venison chili to its rightful place on this menu. Habersham also owns nearby Nora Mills and uses the grits and other corn products milled there.

At Montaluce, Ristorante Le Vigne is devoted to Italian cooking. Chef Seth Scarborough has a wood-fired oven imported from Italy for preparing the flat breads and grilled panini that make such great lunches. At dinner, you’ll find a Gorgonzola-crusted steak with any one of several big red wines. Montaluce’s own wines are in the barrel as we go to press, so look forward soon to tasting perhaps a Montaluce merlot with this dish.

The fine dining restaurant Ristorante Le Vigne at Montaluce serves fine Italian-inspired cuisine. (Photo by John Umberger.)

At Crane Creek Vineyards, Chef David Sanford heads the food preparation—along with helping with other duties, such as winter pruning if necessary. Currently, the winery does Soup Kitchen Saturdays along with wine-and-food dinners outdoors when the weather warrants.

Almost all the wineries do food-and-wine events. Wolf Mountain’s weekend food-wine-music events draw crowds, so be sure to make reservations. At BlackStock Vineyards & Winery, David Harris and his team plan numerous food-and-wine experiences throughout the year. Persimmon Creek’s Mary Ann Hardman often prepares the food for the winery’s food-and-wine events. Shannon Vineyards near Sylvania does food-and-wine buffet dining on the weekends. Food, wine and music fill the air at Frogtown Cellars’ special dinners.

And nearly all offer some kind of munchies with wine tastings. Grab a nosh plate at Three Sisters Vineyards & Winery, and enjoy it with one of their wines on the patio or attend one of their winemaker dinners. At Meinhardt Vineyards near Statesboro, let the sunset feed your eyes while you enjoy a bottle of wine and nibbles. Tiger Mountain Vineyards’ special weekends feature wonderful wine-friendly foods, such as great cheeses—including those from Sweet Grass Dairy—and grilled sausages.

No question about it: Georgia’s winemakers understand the real meal deal is food and wine. And they’re rising to the challenge. Following are some of their special treats and the wines they pair with them.

Tiger Mountain Vineyards emphasizes its wines with "locally grown" dinners, like this one last fall in the vineyards. Rabun County organic foods expert Cindy Halbkat serves a group of visiting artists.

What’s demi-glace?

A few of our recipes this month call for demi-glace, so what is it? Demi-glace is a rich brown sauce used in French cooking both by itself or as a base for other sauces. The term glace means icing or glaze. Demi-glace takes hours, even days to make, but because this is such an ordeal, look for commercial preparations that work well. We suggest “More than Gourmet,” which is available by retail as well as online: www.morethangourmet.com/products.htm. Prepare according to package directions and proceed with recipe.

How to get in touch with these wineries:

• BlackStock Vineyards & Winery, Dahlonega, (706) 219-2789, www.bsvw.com

• Boutier Winery, Danielsville, (706) 789-0058; additional tasting room, Acworth, (770) 529-0490 (call for hours), www.boutierwinery.com

• Butterducks Winery, Guyton, (912) 728-9463, www.butterduckswinery.com

• Château Élan, Braselton, (678) 425-0900, (800) 233-9463, www.chateauelan.com

• Chesser Island Winery, Folkston, (912) 496-2916, www.chesserislandwinery.com

• Crane Creek Vineyards, Young Harris, (706) 379-1236, www.cranecreekvineyards.com

• Crimson N’ Scarlett’s Vineyard, Dawsonville, (770) 480-2801, www.cnsvineyard.com; Tasting room: Batch and Brews, www.batchandbrews.com

• Frogtown Cellars, Dahlonega, (706) 865-0687, www.frogtownwine.com

• The Georgia Winery, Ringgold, (706) 937-9463, www.georgiawines.com

• Habersham Vineyards & Winery, Helen, (706) 878-9463, www.habershamwinery.com

• Horse Creek Winery, Nashville, (229) 686-9463, horsecreekwinery.com