Several Gilmer County wine and spirits producers received awards at a recent competition in which alcoholic beverages from across the state were entered.
The Georgia Trustees Wine and Spirits Challenge awards top-judged wines, ciders, spirits and meads produced statewide. Winners of the professionally judged competition were announced at a Nov. 7 banquet event in Alpharetta.
Local producers bringing home awards included White Path Creek Distillery, Engelheim Vineyards, Reece’s Cider Co., Chateau Meichtry, Buckley Vineyards and Cartecay Vineyards.
White Path Creek Distillery received “Best Flavored” awards for its caramel moonshine and watermelon rum, as well as a silver medal in the moonshine category.
“We make the moonshine and rum right here in Gilmer County,” said James Sturgeon, one of the distillery’s founders. “Right now, I’ve got six different moonshines and three different rums. We’re very picky on what we put in the jar. We don’t scorch our alcohol, and we’re very picky about what goes in it.”
This was the first time the distillery, which Sturgeon said is the first legal one in the county, has entered the Trustees competition. Sturgeon said he didn’t attend the reception, but the awards were accepted by Jennifer Grimmer and Ron Cheslock, of the Gilmer Chamber.
Reece’s Cider Co. received a “Best” award for its Georgia Peach Sparkling Hard Cider, as well as a gold medal for its Ol’ Red hard cider, noted Taner Reece, the cidery’s proprietor.
“We’ve sell about eight (different hard ciders) at a time. Were thinking about expanding that this winter,” said Reece.
Being recognized in the statewide challenge is a big thing for the young business, which has been open a little more than one year.
“We’re pretty excited about it. This is the first time we’ve been open in time to enter,” said Reece.
It was also a big night for several of the county’s wine producers.
According to the Gilmer Chamber, Engelheim Vineyards received a gold medal for its 2020 Doxology wine, and silvers for its 2014 Merlot Reserve and 2021 Engel Weiss wines. Cartecay Vineyards received a silver medal for its 2021 Vidal Blanc and a bronze for its 2021 Traminette. Chateau Meichtry received a gold medal for its Süss Weiss. Buckley Vineyards received a silver for its “Henry” and a bronze for its “Corrine Apple” wines.
Jane Garvey, of the Georgia Trustees board, said the challenge contest started in 2015 as a wine competition and later broadened to include several other types of alcoholic drinks produced in Georgia.
“When the colony (of Georgia) was founded in 1733, one of the charges to Gen. Oglethorpe was to grow grapes and make wine. The charge came from the trustees of the colony back in London, so the Georgia Trustees (competition is) named for them,” she said.
Several Gilmer winemakers have earned awards in previous competitions, and Enegelheim previously took home the Trustees’ top award, the Oglethorpe Trophy, Garvey noted.
The contest’s rules require that entered beverages are made in Georgia, and the competition is sponsored by the Georgia Grown program, an extension of the state Department of Agriculture.
“Georgia Grown sponsors some of the awards, and we’re working now to kind of enfold the competition into Georgia Grown. We’re really at the beginning point of a closer affiliation (with them),” Garvey said.
“The relationship will get closer over the years,” she added. “We’re all over 70 and we’ve got to deal with that, so we’re looking for a way of establishing it in a permanent (way), kind of like (what’s done in some other) states where the Department of Agriculture operates competitions. That’s the kind of thing we’re looking to set up here.”