by Jerry Grillo
White County News
On a rise in White County, just off Town Creek Road near the Lumpkin County line, where the sweeping Blue Ridge makes the sky feel bigger, Kaya Vineyard & Winery sprawls like a panorama across 90 acres of vines, cottages, and gathering spaces.
Visitors come for the mountain views, but many leave surprised by the wines themselves.
“We’ll do blind tastings with our wine club members,” says Kari Norman, Kaya’s vice president of operations. “We’ll pour wines from out of state, even from overseas, alongside ours. More often than not, they’re picking Kaya wines as their favorites.”
Kaya has grown into one of the most visible names on the Dahlonega Plateau, the federally recognized viticultural area that has helped put north Georgia on the wine map.
But not very long ago, the property sat dormant. It used to be the site of Blackstock Vineyards, one of the area’s first and largest vineyards, maker of excellent wines. Crop losses due to repeated weather-related issues forced it to close in 2012.
New Life
Enter Bill and Andrea Werkheiser, Atlanta area entrepreneurs who were looking for a new project. They bought the vineyard from the bank in 2014.
Enter Norman, who dropped off her resume at the shuttered winery, was told she’d hear something in a year from the Werkheisers, and didn’t hold her breath. Then she got the call and became Kaya’s first employee in 2015.
“I joke that I got to be an entrepreneur with somebody else’s credit card,” Norman says. “They literally handed me a credit card, walked out the door, and for six months I was at Kaya by myself, building everything from the ground up.”
She set up software systems, human resources, standard operating procedures, and a front-of-house experience that she hoped would set Kaya apart. It could be nerve wracking, it was always exciting, and by June 16, Kaya’s doors were open. Within two years, business was strong enough to add the Kaya Cottages for overnight guests.
That expansion was just the beginning.
In 2018, the team purchased the nearby Dahlonega Resort and Vineyard, a property with lodging and a restaurant that complemented Kaya’s wine-making. In 2020, amid the pandemic, they pivoted again — marketing wide-open spaces where guests could picnic and sip wine outdoors, safely social distancing. It was their best year financially. They also purchased Sylvan Valley Lodge and Cellars in Helen, which now anchors their catering and event business.
Puzzle Pieces
Norman says the three properties are puzzle pieces in an all-inclusive hospitality experience. Kaya remains the heart of it — the production center and tasting room where the wines are made and introduced to visitors. The resort provides lodging and dining, while Sylvan Valley’s kitchen fuels catering for weddings and special events across the region.
“We wanted it to feel seamless,” Norman says. “Whether you’re coming for a tasting, a weekend getaway, or a wedding, you’ll get the same hospitality and quality.”
The vineyard now produces estate-grown varietals, with Dominic Mantei handling the winemaking duties. Kaya bottles estate-grown Chambourcin, Chardonnay, and other varietals, while also sourcing select grapes like the prized Beckstoffer from California.
“Growing grapes in Georgia is never easy,” Norman said. “It takes talent, patience, and a little bit of luck with the weather. But the wines we produce here can stand with anyone’s.”