SEASONAL SIPS
CITY WINERY CELEBRATES FALL WITH THE RETURN OF ITS ANNUAL HARVEST PARTY
STORY: Claire Ruhlin
The fall harvest is upon us, and for winemakers such as City Winery Atlanta, that applies to more than cool-weather produce. This time of year also kicks off wine making season. And what better way to celebrate than with plenty of— you guessed it—wine?
On September 22, City Winery Atlanta offers an up-close look at the winemaking process at its third annual Harvest Party, held from noon to 3 p.m. in its concert venue. “It’s a tradition for winemakers to celebrate the season when fruit is picked and processed—also called ‘the crush’— when fermentation begins,” says Jim Ethridge, the winery’s marketing director. “City Winery wants to bring this celebration to the community, so everyone can share in the excitement.”
Guests of the ticketed event will enjoy tastings of City Winery wines, as well as tours of and tastings in the Barrel Room, which features stateof- the-art equipment for “the crush.”
“Being an urban winery—the only one in Atlanta—City Winery offers what no else in town can: access to our area’s only winemaker, Travis Green,” says Ethridge. “We source our fruit from the finest vineyards in Oregon, Washington, California and, of course, Georgia.”
In addition to tastes directly from the barrel, the afternoon will feature tours, a paint-your-own-wine-label station, live music and grape stomping—an homage to the old days of winemaking. “[Stomping is] not something we still do to make the wine, but it’s fun to experience what used to happen,” Ethridge notes. A selection of wine-friendly food will be available for purchase—think City Winery’s Pinot Pimiento cheese— ranging from $5 to $10.
“When harvest season hits, the weather’s cooling and the winery smells phenomenal,” Ethridge says. “There are long but rewarding days for our winemaking team. It’s a magical time in our industry.”
