Ott Farms and Vineyard, Ellijay, Georgia

“I believe that the responsibility of the winemaker is to take that fruit and get it into the bottle as the most natural and purest expression of that vineyard, of the grape varietal or blend, and of the vintage.”

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

After a fun day of exploring the historic town of Ellijay Georgia and then spending time at Cartecay Vineyards, we were going to head back to our room to rest when we saw a sign for Ott Farms and Vineyard. We figured, why not check it out since, after all, we were on a mini vacation. So we made a left out of Cartecay Vineyards instead of going right and heading back to town. We drove just less than three miles from Cartecay Vineyard till we reached Ott Farms and Vineyard.

The building looked new and come to find out, it was only a couple years old. This is one of Gilmer County’s newest Vineyards opening in 2018. When we walked in we both were in awe at how beautiful the view was from the top of this mountain. Outside the windows of the tasting room was an amazing panoramic view of the Appalachian Mountains. We knew instantly that we were going to like this place.

 

We headed to the tasting bar where the owner and horticultural specialist, Michael Ott introduced himself and then introduced us to Kelly, who works with him. They were both lovely and very hospitable. I tasted a few of the wines till I decided which white wine I wanted. The wines were all great and it made for a tough choice. They offered a variety of wines to choose from white, blush, and red. Joe was able to get a nice red wine to enjoy. The tasting room has a lovely stone fireplace that would be great to enjoy a hot fire in the winter time. They also have a section where you can buy T-shirts, wine glasses, candles, coasters, and many other unique items.

We headed out to the covered patio and sat in one of the many tables and gazed at the view. How absolutely gorgeous. I could spend days just ogling over the view. From the patio you could see the vineyard in all directions. There were tables and chairs set up in front of a covered bandstand and we saw a musician setting up to play a set. Another couple sat at a table near us and we hit it off right away with great conversations. It just couldn’t get any better than this.

Michael Ott came to this area from Florida and helped build Cartecay Vineyard, Engelheim Vineyards, Ellijay River Vineyards, as well as consulting with Chateau Meichtry. He bought 20 acres and has since planted four acres of French-American hybrid grapes of which three acres are currently producing. Michael and his fiance, Lee Delk have cleared the land, planted the vines, set up the trellis system, and worked hard to prune and train their grapes. They grow Seyval Blanc, Chambourcin, Traminette, and Lenoire Grapes. He also has a supplier of Muscadine grapes from southern Georgia for some of his wines.

This beautiful vineyard boasts of having an 1800 foot tasting room, 30’ x 30’ vaulted covered pavilion, and an 8’ x 80’ covered porch. All this is available for special functions. How perfect for a wedding. The pictures would be magnificent with that beautiful mountain view.

After sitting and enjoying the view and our new friends, we realized it was time to head back to Ellijay, only 6.5 miles away. We hated to leave but we knew as we left, that we would be back. Their hours are Friday 12 PM to 8 PM, Saturday 12 PM to 6 PM, and Sunday from 12:30 PM to 6 PM. Check them out at: http://ottfarmandvineyard.com/. They are located at: 230 Henry Evans Road, Ellijay, Georgia.

We would highly recommend this Vineyard and hope to see up up there some time. Bye for now.