The Stone Mountain Story

In 1979, Stone Mountain Vineyards founder, Alfred "Al" W. Breiner, was in Europe riding the Rhinegold express. As the train rattled along he looked up from the legal briefs he was reviewing, he saw the steep vineyards planted on either side of the Rhine River. As a mountain landowner himself, he thought, "If they can grow grapes on these steep slopes, I bet I can do back in Virginia". That moment was the birth of the vision. Over the years, the dream grew beyond just Al Breiner to include his entire family. Finally, in 1986 a test vineyard of 200 vines was planted. By the third leaf, the quality of the fruit was exceptional.

An additional twenty acres was planted. The winery building site was selected for its unbelievable views. Al often said he should charge for the view and give away the wine! The architecture for the building was designed to maximize gravity flow processing within the winery, and to create a low profile building to not disturb the viewscape from below.

One wine industry truism is that you can't make great wine from bad fruit. From the beginning Stone Mountain has focused on high quality, low quantity vineyard production. Working with Gabriele Rausse, one of the fathers of the rebirth of Virginia wine, each vineyard was oriented to maximize the intensity of the fruit. In addition, the steep slope of the mountain prevented the heavy spring frost from settling in and damaging the vines.

Unlike many properties, Stone Mountain Vineyards still believes hand picking the fruit is a critical step in the winemaking process. By select handpicking, the fruit that arrives at the winery is only the best the vineyard has to offer; less attractive clusters are left. This results in a more powerful and fruit centered wine.

The winery building was built into the mountain to allow the creation of Stone Mountain's Wine cave. The French and American oak barrels are stored at a precise 55 degrees and at natural cave humidity to protect the aging process and integrity of the fruit.

The large tasting room features rich hardwood flooring, comfortable gathering areas and a heartwood Pine Tasting bar. While looking over the observation deck to the valley below and with a glass of Stone Mountain Cabernet Franc in hand, the true vision of Stone Mountain Founder Al Breiner can be seen, tasted, and fully appreciated.

Climb the Mountain, see how a positive change in altitude,
brings a positive change in attitude...