Thomasville’s own Susina Plantation Winery has won three silver medals at the Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge. 

Submitting wines at the competition were 39 wineries from seven of the nine vineyard regions in the state. A score of certified wine judges and sommeliers met in August at the Leven School of Culinary Sustainability at Kennesaw State University to taste hundreds of wines produced in the state of Georgia. The Georgia Trustee Wine Challenge is Georgia’s premier contest to identify its finest wines.

In 1732, King George II appointed 20 trustees to govern the new Georgia colony. To succeed, the colony needed to find exportable products to sustain the colony. Gen. James Oglethorpe established a garden with fruits and vegetables to determine crops that would grow well here. This was known as the Trustees Garden and grapes were included to establish a wine industry. The trustees regularly requested updates on the development of Georgia vineyards.

Launched in 2015 by the Georgia Wine Producers association, the Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge is the annual measure of the progress in the Georgia wine industry.

This year, three of Susina Plantation wines won a silver medal. The Scuppernong label is produced and bottled at the plantation from white muscadine (scuppernong) grapes grown at Susina. It is handcrafted in small batches using ages-old techniques. The second medal winning wine is Oh Susina, named in honor of Jimmy Mason’s book chronicling his boyhood at Susina. Oh Susina is also made from scuppernong grapes grown at Susina and adds touch of natural peach flavoring. The final medal winner is Crisp, produced and bottled at Susina using imported grape and apple juice.

“We are proud to have these handcrafted wines judged favorably among hundreds of submitted wines,” said Randy Rhea of Susina Plantation.