Yonah Mountain Vineyards

Yonah Mountain Vineyards didn’t start as a regional leader in winemaking. Or as a weekend road-trip tasting favorite. Or as a lush vacation retreat or wedding destination. It all started as a distraction, really, for a guy who couldn’t stay retired.  

“My mom was like, ‘This should be this little mom-and-pop thing, not a big deal.’ But that’s not how my dad rolls,” joked Eric Miller, general manager of an enterprising agribusiness that seems to be always growing and innovating.  

Bob and Jane Miller were retired from corporate life in metro Atlanta, living in south Florida, when they decided in 2005 to buy a beautiful stretch of land in North Georgia – 200 wooded acres at the base of Yonah Mountain. They didn’t have plans for it, other than as a family retreat, until a friend mentioned to Bob that if he planted something, he might qualify for an agriculture tax discount.  

That was in 2007. By 2009, Yonah Mountain Vineyards had begun selling its first bottles of wine.  

An Ameris connection from the beginning 

The next year, the fledgling business hosted its first Crush Fest – a celebration of the late-summer grape harvest with music, food and, of course, wine. V. Brian Horton, senior relationship manager with Ameris, was there.  

“I’m very familiar with the Millers from having lived in the area since 2008,” Horton said. “When the wine industry was started in northeast Georgia, Yonah was one of the early wineries to go big.” 

The Miller family’s relationship with Ameris predates the vineyard’s existence. But the family business would soon also become an Ameris customer. 

“2011 is when we really started cranking, and that’s when Dad got excited for it to become a legacy family business instead of just another project that he might be throwing together,” Eric Miller recalled. “That’s when my parents were like, ‘We want you to come and take over this business. We’re supposed to be retired.” Eric walked away from a busy career as a percussion instructor and co-founder of the Atlanta Falcons drumline to jump into daily operations. 

Earning trust with responsive service 

More growth, and change, came quickly. The family decided to build an eye-catching tasting room to draw in visitors. That opened in 2014. In 2015 Yonah opened a separate facility for hosting weddings. Staff was growing, too.  

Financing has always been a big part of Yonah Mountain Vineyard’s expansion and flexibility. At first, the new company shopped around among banks to find the best deals. Ameris came through, again and again, with competitive rates and quick execution. 

As the business grew, Ameris helped the Millers combine the early construction and equipment loans into one “jumbo” loan. Their rep “went above and beyond to find a good interest rate,” Eric recalled. They refinanced it again, with an even better rate, in 2020.   

A partner that adapts with you 

That same year, the winery saw an explosion in wine tastings, as folks flocked to outdoor attractions during the pandemic. The Millers decided to expand capacity with a 100-seat pavilion.  

Jane and Bob moved out of their double-wide and built a permanent home on the property. Then two different adjacent neighbors put their properties up for sale, and the family business acquired them as rental homes for guests. Then, a food truck fell into their laps – which meant, because of food safety laws, that the Millers had to build a certified catering kitchen, with a grease trap and a new septic field. 

Meanwhile, the wine industry started to contract as consumers rethought their Covid-era alcohol consumption. The Millers turned their attention to the wedding and vacation sectors—transforming the property from a simple vineyard into a versatile, year-round destination.  

Keeping red tape out of the equation 

Yonah Mountain Vineyards combined a line of credit with an equipment loan for a new cooling system. By then, the company was working exclusively with Ameris.  

“It was the relationship, especially after the first few loans,” Eric Miller said. “My father is very quick with his decision-making. Once we make a decision, he wants everything executed as quickly as possible.” 

With Ameris, he said, transactions are direct without a lot of bureaucratic layers and delays. “That’s always been key, especially dealing with my father.” 

Ameris’ Horton noted that the bank and Yonah Mountain Vineyards actually have that mindset in common. “I think the attraction that Ameris has to businesses like Yonah is our size,” he said. “We’re big enough to provide the technology and services that larger banks offer, but we’re still small enough that we have a community bank feel. We’re just the right size.” 

Recent innovations at Yonah include trivia nights, music bingo, blind tastings paired with gourmet food.  

“We’re event-centric, and we’re always very nimble. I’ve always looked ahead to see what’s the latest thing to do. People want events, they don’t want to just sit and analyze wine,” Eric said. “We just make it fun. We don’t make it stuffy.” 

What’s next? Maybe another rental home. Maybe a foray into sparkling wine.  

“Now that we’ve been doing this for 20 years, it feels like there’s always something on the horizon,” he said. “There’s a ton of possibilities, that’s for sure. … And there’s gonna be a lot of things happening with Ameris.”