Story by : Dana Lark
Senior Reporter
Within the first 10 minutes of meeting Charles Tillman, I was asked to name the three unofficial (but let’s face it, official) beverages of the state of Georgia.
The pressure was on, and suddenly for the first time that I can recall, I was hell bent on proving my southern-ness. The first one was a hesitant guess, Coca-Cola.
Ding-Ding-Ding! I am correct.
The second one was of course, sweet tea. The warmth that washed across Tillman’s face in the shape of a smile made me feel like I was the winner of the huge, fuzzy prized stuffed elephant at the fair.
“Exactly,” Tillman said. “To get a glass of unsweet tea in the state of Georgia is a big event. They’ll stop the whole kitchen.”
I usually don’t perform this well under pressure. As we stood on the second floor balcony of his winery, I looked out at the rows and rows of muscadine grape vines. I can take a hint. The third beverage is Muscadine Wine.
During a vacation to Sonoma Valley, California in 2005, Charles and his wife, Deborah, were introduced to a vineyard owner from New York. The gentleman said he dropped everything, purchased land with the help of his father, and never looked back.
At the time, Tillman had recently acquired a large amount of family acreage in Glennville, Georgia. After tossing around ideas with his wife about raising cattle or growing soybeans, Tillman knew that neither of those plans would work.
“While I’m listening to that young fella tell his story, I’m thinkin’ of what to do with this land that I’ve got back in Georgia, because I’m no farmer,” Tillman said.
Upon returning home, Tillman began to research the wine industry within the state. In 2007, the Tillmans planted a 3-acre vineyard comprised of 500 vines.
Tillman hired a wine consultant to help with the knowledge and understanding of winemaking. As a vintner, Tillman engages himself in the winemaking process from the moment the grapes are hand-picked off the vine.
Unlike buying into a McDonald’s franchise, Tillman said, the winemaking undertaking offers no clear cut, fail-proof directions. Tillman has become a lifelong student of the winemaking process.
“If you decide to build a winery, you will not find a blueprint,” Tillman said.
In addition to bottling 11 different wines in-house, they also serve dinner specials and small plates. Deborah Tillman has been the backbone of the kitchen, preparing small plates and charcuterie boards, along with house-made pimento cheese sandwiches and chicken salad wraps.
“We developed recipes that I could basically do myself,” Deborah Tillman said.
Recently, and much to Deborah’s excitement, the owners have hired a chef. Guests can expect weekly specials like chicken carbonara, New York strip, and house-made breads.
The wine tasting part of a visit to Watermelon Creek Vineyard is certainly what sets it apart from the pack. While sampling nine muscadine and two blueberry wines that range from dessert-sweet to bone-dry, Tillman is going to talk to you about the Lord.
Unlike soybean fields or cattle ranches, wine lures people in.
People will park their cars and come inside, rather than just drive by. With a seminary education and 22 years of teaching Sunday school under his belt, Tillman finds fulfillment in witnesses to visitors.
“We’re here because of the wonderful gift God gave me by being born on this enchanted corner, and I am obligated to tell the world,” Tillman said.
This unconventional venue for spreading the word of God is not lost upon frequent visitors like Teresa Thompson.
Thompson is a lifelong Glennville local and frequents the vineyard often. Thompson loves the relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere she finds everytime she walks through the doors.
“Charles loves to do wine tastings,” Thompson said. “He tells fabulous stories and makes it biblical to where you don’t feel bad about drinking the wine.”
The sweeter wines are Thompson’s favorite; her top two picks are the Endless Summer and Ohoopee River White. Aside from the quality of the wine, Thompson loves its location. There is nothing like it in the area, and when she sips from the glass she gets “a taste of home.”
On Valentine’s Day this year, Thompson spent the evening with her husband at Watermelon Creek Vineyard and enjoyed a five-course meal paired with world-class entertainment. The vineyard partnered with the Savannah Stage Company to entertain guests with 20-minute acts between courses in the banquet hall on site.
There is plenty to be proud of; owning and preserving nearly 300 acres of family land, and repurposing the original buildings that date back to the early 1800s.
To the Tillmans though, they are simply using their gifts bare witness to God’s grace. Tillman takes no credit for the prize-winning line-up of wines Watermelon Creek Vineyard has produced over the years.
“Vintners don’t make wine,” Tillman said. “Jesus made all the wine on planet Earth. Period. All we do as vintners is wash dishes.”
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