Fainting Goat Vineyards & Winery
FAINTING GOAT VINEYARDS & WINERY
201 Vineyard Way, Jasper, GA( 706) 692-9463 | faintinggoatvineyardsandwinery. com
Winemaker McKenzie Higginbotham credits farming and family as the foundations of Fainting Goat Vineyards & Winery. In the 1980s, Higginbotham, her brother, and their parents lived on a self-sustaining farm in Ohio. As a remarkably close family, when college and careers landed the four in distant places, they realized it was time to get back to the founding fundamentals of earth, life, and people. After a joint planning session in 2008, the hunt for a winery was on.
In 2010, real estate shopping in multiple states led them to their current site off Highway 136 in Jasper. The four pooled their talents— and strong backs— in a true sweat-equity effort to build the terraced vineyard, a tasting room with an unending view, and the high-tech winery. Higginbotham, a chemistry major, went back to school for a degree in enology( the study of wines) and learned through that program that she was a“ super taster.” In a recent VoyageATL article, she wrote,“ As a super taster— blessed with an extraordinary number of taste buds— I was uniquely equipped to blend the precision of winemaking science with the subtle artistry of flavor creation.” A Saturday tour with her is highly recommended.
28 | NW GEORGIA LIVING MAY / JUNE 2025
What you can bring: Pack the dogs, kiddos, and your own munchables for a fun picnic on the grounds( or you can grab small bites from the vineyard pantry).
Bonus: Enjoy live music on the weekends and the Sunset Concert Series in the warmer months. Other special events include the monthly Tapas on the Terrace, the Slice to Meet You pizza-making classes( with a glass of wine, of course), and amazing sensory events like Drink the Music and Drinking in the Dark.
Fun fact: Higginbotham is one of the few female winemakers in Georgia and one of the few Georgia winemakers formally educated in winemaking.
Don’ t miss: Yes, Fainting Goat has actual fainting goats on-site. And, yes, the goats actually faint. When startled or excited, they stiffen and fall over, which doesn’ t hurt them but is comical to see. The goats’ names are Ronnie, Reagan, Dolley, and Mamie, and they reside in an impressive pen with love and protection provided by their Great Pyrenees friends Teddy and Rosie.
Kathy Patrick is a retired software sales professional and personal chef in Rome, Georgia. She loves cooking, traveling, waterskiing, stand-up paddling, and bicycle trips with her husband, Berry College professor Martin Cipollini. Patrick has served as a board member of the Rome Little Theatre and the Georgia chapter of The American
Chestnut Foundation.