Arabia Mountain Vineyard Opens To Venue Rentals

The Arabia Mountain Vineyard is a family owned business in Stonecrest that produces five wine grapes opened its grounds to venue rentals this September. 

Ah, tall palm trees, glowing wine grapes and rolling gentle hills. No, it’s not Sonoma, California, it’s the Arabia Mountain Vineyard in Stonecrest, just 20 minutes outside downtown Atlanta—and only three miles down the road from the Arabia Alliance office on Klondike Road. This local family-owned vineyard just celebrated its second successful harvest back in August—and starting this September, this hidden gem in the heart of the Heritage Area opened several curated outdoor locations and hangouts around its grounds to rent for parties, receptions, business meetings and more.

A Family Of Farmers

“We’re basically glorified farmers,” laughed Cheryl Starks-Pickens, Chief Operations Officer at the vineyard. “We are birthed from farmers. On both sides of our family, they had their own farmland, growing collards, cabbages, tomatoes. And our grandparents had just about every tree you could imagine. As we grew up, we were really exposed to that land and that way of life. It’s been in our blood to be farmers, now we’ve just added wine grapes.”

Located just off South Goddard Road, Arabia Mountain Vineyard is truly a surprise. A short walk from the gravel parking lot reveals a breathtaking view of a green valley with grapes, palms and rivulets, like something lifted out of Northern California. It’s solely a sibling-owned operation. Cheryl Starks-Pickens co-owns the vineyard with her sister Marvis Starks-Zanders (Chief Administrative Officer) and their brother Tim Starks (CEO). It was Tim who convinced his sisters to turn this family of farmers into grape growers.

Visions Of A Georgia Paradise

“Tim has been a subcontractor and landscaper for forty-plus years,” said Cheryl. “He will spend all waking hours outdoors. It’s the outdoors for him. But he’s not just a landscaper and a contractor—he’s an artist.”

During the pandemic, after visiting California’s wine country, Tim became inspired to start his own vineyard in Metro Atlanta, on an 18-acre parcel he’d used for decades as a tree farm, especially palms. Working and shaping the land with a single bobcat, Tim slowly transformed this rocky Georgia valley into a slice of paradise with groves of fruit trees, a manicured stretch of Crooked Creek with a waterfall and, of course, a two-acre hillside of grapevine. The property even has its own private view of Arabia Mountain from what the Starks have named Tiny’s Peak, after their grandmother Shirley Starks, aka Grandma Tiny. 

Fruits Of Their Labors

Founded in 2018, the vineyard planted its first grape vines in 2020. After “sacrificing” the first two years’ harvest (a common practice to strengthen grape vines for bigger yields), Arabia Mountain Vineyard had its first successful harvest last year. And this year, the Starks along with volunteers celebrated their 2nd Annual Harvest Fest, picking several tons of their five grape varieties: Villard Blanc, Black Spanish, Chardonel, Blanc DuBois, & Lomanto.

“Harvest Fest is an opportunity to harvest the grapes that have grown,” said Cheryl. “Two are ready at the end of July and three other varieties later in mid-August. During the last couple of years, we’ve used a lot of volunteers.” All those grapes will go to Georgia winemakers before coming back home to Arabia Mountain.

However, don’t expect a wine tasting just yet. The process of making and aging wine takes several years, and while fun tastings are coming soon, the first bottles won’t be available until 2027. But it’s not too soon for curious wine connoisseurs to explore the vineyard or rent one of its whimsical, outdoor locations.

“We’re a work in progress and very proud of what we’ve done in just three years,” said Cheryl. “We love it all, from getting our hands in the dirt to picking those beautiful wine grapes”