'A place to fall in love': New winery preparing to open in South Hall

Apr. 11—A new Hall County farm winery may pose the perfect venue for unassuming patrons to fall in love. At least that's the hope of Mark Faul when his wines start pouring.

With its panoramic views of rolling hills surrounding the 4-acre vineyard, Mulberry Springs Vineyard and Winery, slated to open Saturday, may just be the place.

Mulberry Springs Vineyard and Winery

Slated to open: April 15

Where: 4527 J M Turk Road, Flowery Branch

Hours: Noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

More info: mulberrysprings.com

Located just a stone's throw from Mulberry Creek Community Center on J M Turk Road in Flowery Branch, Mulberry Springs is somewhat of a retirement project for Faul, who spent 25 years working as a scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A native of St. Charles Missouri's wine belt, Faul put down roots in Flowery Branch in the early 2000s. His property, which held a horse boarding facility back in the day, spans 20 acres in all, the vineyard spanning 4 with an additional 1.5 planned.

A cedar pavilion on the grounds sits ready to accommodate roughly 60 guests.

Plans for a 2,400-square-foot tasting room are slated to go before the county for final review, Faul hopes, within the next month.

Once complete, the tasting room will seat about 90 guests, featuring a cellar and processing and bottling operation in the basement, where the grapes will be crushed and fermented.

Growing in the vineyard are three varietals: muscadine, lomanto and Lenoir, all reds. For now, Faul purchases juice from other vineyards for his white wines, but plans to eventually add white varietals to his own.

Mulberry Springs' wine list includes Noble Reserve, a fruity red muscadine with a crisp finish; Branch Harvest, a dry red made from Lenoir grapes; Rosina, a crisp rose named for Faul's late mother who, though she wasn't a big proponent of wine, enjoyed the occasional pina colada; and Sunny Harbor, a white wine — all silver and bronze medalists in the 2022 Georgia Trustees Wine and Spirits Competition.

In the works for three years, Faul hopes Mulberry Springs will be "an enjoyable place where people can relax, maybe fall in love (and) enjoy these beautiful views."

"If you take an inventory of 'What can adults do to have fun?' (they can) go to restaurants, yes, but there's not much more beyond that," Faul said. "I suppose there's boating, but in terms of establishments, there's a lot of places for kids to have fun but there's not as many places for adults to have fun."

Mulberry Springs, he hopes, remedies the predicament, affording local grown-ups the opportunity to have fun on their home turf.

While the cost of launching a winery has been "enormous," thanks to the winemaking equipment, 13,000 feet of irrigation line and 900 vineyard posts, Faul feels the end reward will offset the expense.

"The dividends will be in happy smiles. That is the main motivation," he said. "People are driving very long distances to get their wine needs met, and this is much safer for the community. I get about one email a day (asking), 'When are you opening?' There's a lot of interest."

While Flowery Branch Vineyard and Winery prepares to open roughly 5 miles away, Faul said he doesn't foresee competition cropping up between its proprietor, Brad Walton, and himself.

"We're friends," Faul said. "Most people in the wine community, they help each other out. I mean, I'm not open yet, so I can't really say (whether there will be competition), but Brad and I help each other out."

For more information on Mulberry Springs, visit mulberrysprings.com or follow @mulberryspringswinery on Facebook.