Nine miles east of exit 60, on the outskirts of Madisonville, is Tsali Notch, the largest commercial muscadine vineyard in the state of Tennessee. When Athens native Cary Cox and his brother bought the vineyard at auction in 2009, there were already 30 acres of vines. It was originally a real estate venture, but as time went on, Cary knew Tsali Notch could grow into something more.
“At the time, we couldn’t have a winery, but then Tennessee passed the Custom Crush Law, so we were able to do it and opened in 2014,” says Cary. “I built the tasting room before that just have a place to hang out and sell juice and jellies. It’s hard to plan. You just have to start and adjust as you go.”
Tsali Notch, named after the historic Cherokee leader, grows six varieties of muscadines - four bronze and two dark berries. They all start out green and change color over the season; they’re the sweetest when they’re dark. Harvest time falls in late September and early October, but there’s an entire summer prior to the harvest to enjoy being in the vineyard.
“The oldest vines here are from 2004. Those muscadines were already in the ground. They are in the grape family, but muscadines aren’t concords, and they often get a bad rap,” says JD Dalton, Tsali Notch general manager. “You know, Grandma and Grandpa made muscadine wine, and they didn’t know exactly what they were doing. They were just looking for a little sauce to take care of a cough.”
He laughs at the thought, and he’s not wrong. Wine enthusiasts often overlook muscadine in favor of bottles from California, France, and Italy. Though the flavor and notes are distinct to the fruit, you’ll never know what you like unless you try them.
When the winery came into production, they started with standard muscadine wine recipes - the first labels were Sweetwater, a semi-sweet white wine, and Dragon Canoe, a semi-sweet red - but they knew they’d develop more. Today, Tsali Notch has nine distinct labels, the latest being a dessert wine, similar to a Madeira or Port, called Tallulah.
“People who drink a lot of wine what to know what it tastes like, but it tastes like a muscadine. It has its own unique flavor,” says Cary. “What I’m trying to do is put a finer point on the aging process.”
The property is sweeping with hundreds of rows, neatly manicured and tended to by hand. The small staff spends 75 percent of its time grooming the vines and keeping the grounds looking spotless. J.D. and his family actually live on the property, yet they never tired of the 280-degree mountain views, which Cary likens to the vineyards one might see in Tuscany. The beauty of the vineyard is undeniable, which is why the addition of Tsali Notch as an event venue was an eventual no-brainer. The property can be rented for both open- and closed-to-the-public events, such as weddings, parties, and receptions.
J.D. has been at Tsali Notch since the Cox family purchased the vineyard, but he didn’t show up with a working knowledge of how to run a vineyard. He grew up on a dairy farm, but raising cows isn’t exactly like raising muscadines. He’s learned everything along the way and relied on their “go-to guy from the UT Extension office,” Dr. David Lockwood, to help with troubleshooting.
Like many business owners, the folks at Tsali Notch had to rework their spring and summer plans when COVID-19 came to Tennessee, which meant canceling or postponing events and closing the tasting room. Eventually, they shifted to curbside pick-up, and now the vineyard is open to visitors Wednesday through Sunday evenings, noon to 6 p.m. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic, stroll through the vineyard, and place orders for wine restaurant-style as the tasting room remains temporarily closed.
Also, if local guidelines allow, the Pick Your Own Program re-ups in September, where visitors are invited to pick their own muscadines by the gallon. Purchase a bucket for $5 (or reuse the one you purchased previously) and pay $10 to fill it.
“After the harvest, it takes November to March to prune everything by hand,” says J.D. “This will be my 12th harvest, and you can smell it in the air - when muscadines are at their sweetest. The whole reason we started to do wine is because we have a limited amount of time to keep the fruit fresh. We can preserve it in wine and keep it on the shelf for more than a year. People will not drive nine miles off the interstate to buy a jar of jelly, but they’ll drive nine miles off the interstate to buy a bottle of wine.”
Tsali Notch wines have been gaining recognition as they continue to win awards from Wines of the South, including what J.D. refers to as “The Lombardi Trophy of Tennessee Wines,” the William O. Beach Award. Each step toward success keeps the wheels turning on what comes next for the vineyard.
“You have to constantly be evolving,” says Cary. “I like seeing what works. If we were doing the same thing we were doing in 2014, it would be hard. There’s the wholesale fruit piece, the retail wine piece, and then there’s the event piece, but we’re still growing grapes. The demand is off, but I expect to still have a market for our grapes.”
Learn more about Tsali Notch at TsaliNotch.com.