Winemaker Simone Bergese’s Wines Have Won Over 160 Awards in Just Three Years

BRASELTON, Ga.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In the past, Georgia hasn’t been known for incredible wine, but Executive
Winemaker Simone Bergese is changing that. With
over 160 awards won since his first harvests in 2013, including
multiple best-of-class, double gold and gold medals, Château Élan
Winery’s vision of greatness has become a reality. Bergese is taking
on some of the West Coast’s best wineries and coming out ahead. In
just three years, Château Élan has become the most awarded winery on the
East Coast.

Château
Élan has been making wine in North Georgia for three decades, but it
is Simone Bergese who has launched the Winery into a whole new era.
Bergese joined the Winery as executive winemaker in 2012 and brought a
compelling vision. With a $2 million winery renovation to complement his
two decades of winemaking experience, he pledged to transform the Château
Élan Winery into something worthy of its own spotlight.

Originally from Alba, Italy, Bergese
commenced the Winery’s transformation by first replanting the vineyards
with disease-resistant native Muscadine grapes. The challenge of
growing classic European varieties in the region had taken its toll on
the vines, and Bergese’s vision left no room for sacrificed quality. For
the classic European varieties, Bergese tours vineyards in California
seasonally and hand-selects about 15 locations with the highest quality
grapes. “Great wine starts with great grapes, so we tapped into the
nation’s best territories,” he said.

His first harvests were bottled in 2013, at which time he began sending
samples to national wine competitions. The response was amazing: Château
Élan Winery hasn’t left a single competition unawarded. Remarkably,
Bergese’s first 2013 vintages of the double gold-winning Cabernet
Sauvignon Reserve, Muscadry and gold-winning Scarlet Reserve sold out
within a year. As a result, the popularity and production of Château
Élan wines has dramatically increased.

More than 20,000 cases were produced in 2015, almost triple 2012
production. The catalog of wines also doubled, as Bergese crafted a diverse
catalog of 27 wines. Among the new wines is the line of acclaimed super-premium
Fingerprint reds. These signature wines boast the highest quality,
most extensive winemaking processes and complex techniques.

The Winery, with its 32 acres of vines, is located at 100 Tour De France
in Braselton, GA.

Contacts

Château Élan
Simone Bergese, 678?425-0900 ext 6354
sbergese@chateauelan.com