Georgia Wine Country

Hey Fat Boy! The Story of Georgia's Fat Boy Wines. Ron Ferrel
On a mid 1990s winery research trip to Virginia, Doug Paul and his brother Jeff joked about blending up a Georgia wine called "Bubba" for the family's Three Sisters winery. "We are big boned people in the Paul family and I've heard the fat boy taunt all my life. In fact, I enjoy teasing my brothers with the same," smiles Paul. When his brother said, "Why don't you call it Fat Boy Red and Fat Boy White?" A wine brand was born. And the old brotherly taunt became the ticket for Three Sisters "swine wine" that is wildly popular (rated an 89 by Grape Anticipation Summer issue 2008). While Fat Boy Red features the eye catching hog on the label with the slogan "Mercy, it's a fat glass of wine!," it is the blend inside the bottle that pleases the wine lover. "This is a wine that unites pallets of every kind," says Sharon Paul. Fat Boy Red is a blend of Cynthiana, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and as the label reads, "a wee bit of Cabernet Sauvignon." The wine is off dry or "abboccato" with notes of Black Cherry and spice that pairs well with everything from a bowl of spicy chili to pulled pork to dark chocolate. "It is an amazing grape that has loads of history in Georgia and early American winemaking," says Doug Paul. The cultivar belongs to the aestivalis species of vine. The Cherokee grew this grape and called it "the summer grape." It is the oldest native North American varietal in commercial cultivation today. Many wine scholars have pointed out Cynthiana was one of the most sought after wines in the south. While muscadine might have dominated the treetops and garden walls, Cynthiana-Norton was said to make the finest wines. So much so, that grape gardener Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton of Richmond classified it in early 1830's Virginia and is said to have corresponded with Thomas Jefferson about cultivating the grape. As the story goes, about the same time in Missouri, a grower classified the cultivar as Cynthiana naming it after his wife. "Smart man," says Doug Paul adding "the Cynthiana-Norton winegrape is recognized as the same varietal by the government for labeling and vine classification." Paul says that there is genetic debate as to whether Cynthiana and Norton are two different varietals. Turns out they are one in the same. "For years, I've heard some grumbles from my Virginia brethren that we should not call it Cynthiana. We should call it Norton." Since Three Sisters obtained rootstock from Missouri, the Pauls decided to market the wine as Cynthiana, but also mention "Cynthiana-Norton" on the back of the Fat Boy label. Sharon Paul adds, "With a vineyard called Three Sisters, we couldn't pass up the Cynthiana name." Sharon and Doug Paul spent decades working in broadcasting, creative services and marketing in Atlanta and New York. In 1995, they decided to shift gears, buy some land to build a mountain home, and start a small farm. Three Sisters Vineyards was born. The first of the five Lumpkin County vineyards and "Dahlonega's First Family Farm Winery," Three Sisters has made wines of distinction and turned heads with Georgia estate grown Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Cynthiana. "It is really quite wonderful that we can grow these European vinifera and American grapes to near perfection on the Dahlonega mountainsides," says Doug Paul. Before planting, the Pauls tasted a bottle of Virginia grown Cynthiana-Norton and decided to incorporate the historical grape into Three Sisters game plan. "We had heard that other vineyards in the south were planting Cynthiana and knew that it was big in Virginia and Missouri, but never realized how import this grape would be to our customer base" says Paul. The latest Three Sisters creation is the much anticipated release of Fat Boy White. "We talked about a special blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Vidal with a kiss of French Oak," said Sharon Paul. Her brother Ken VanDusen blended up a trial blend of Fat Boy White for discussion. "At the first taste, it was exactly what we all envisioned." Fat Boy White was released in the fall of 2008 and the sister wine to Fat Boy Red is gathering a fan base all its' own. Visit www.ThreeSistersVineyards.com for more information about Fat Boy Red and Fat Boy White and Three Sisters Vineyards & Winery. ------------------------ Writer Ron Ferrel is a native of North Carolina who now resides in the North Georgia mountains with his wife and daughter.