Barefoot grape stomping, a craft beer garden and three stages of live music return to the base of Mount Yonah next Saturday as Yonah Mountain Vineyards throws its annual Crush Fest, a harvest celebration that has grown into one of North Georgia's signature wine events. The festival runs from noon to 6 p.m. on August 29 at the vineyard in Cleveland, Georgia, about 90 minutes north of Atlanta, and typically draws more than 1,000 guests each year.
According to WSB-TV, general admission tickets cost $60 and include two servings of wine or beer, a commemorative Riedel glass, and access to the market, beer garden, food vendors and outdoor live music. Guests 21 and older can also enjoy Yonah Mountain Vineyards wines by the glass or bottle, while non-drinking tickets, priced at $40 and available to guests 15 and older, still grant access to the music and activities. Children 14 and under get in free, and organizers offer both general admission and VIP packages, with ticket details posted at yonahmountainvineyards.com/events/crush-fest.
A Family Winery Built Into the Mountain
Eric Miller, general manager and co-owner of the 200-acre family winery, said Crush Fest has become a beloved tradition for the team and wine lovers across the state, per the station's report. Miller joined the winery full-time in 2011 after 18 years as a professional percussion instructor, including 11 years at Georgia Tech where he co-founded the Atlanta Falcons Drumline, according to Yonah Mountain Vineyards. His parents, Bob and Jane Miller, founded the winery in 2005 after buying nearly 200 acres of former farmland in Cleveland, eventually planting 20 acres with eight grape varietals including Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.
Bob and Jane Miller will perform live accordion and guitar music at the festival, one of three stages that also includes the Tropical Breeze Steel Band, per the same account. The property includes what the vineyard describes as the only known underground wine caves in Georgia, built into the base of Mount Yonah to naturally regulate temperature and humidity for barrel aging. A 10,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom with a double staircase, added to the estate in 2015, gives the winery year-round indoor event space, according to The Knot.
What's on Site Beyond the Wine
Crush Fest visitors can browse a market featuring handcrafted goods and artwork, grab food and dessert from trucks on site, and taste estate wines crafted by winemaker Tristen Vanhoff, who has managed production across the vineyard's estate-grown portfolio since joining the Australian-born team in 2017. Festival organizers have previously capped ticket sales at 1,500 attendees to preserve a boutique guest experience given the rural mountain setting, according to Your North Georgia Vacation Guide.
A Bigger Economic Story Behind the Barrels
Crush Fest traces back to 2010, when it began as a small annual harvest gathering at the vineyard, according to Good Day Atlanta, making this year's event the festival's 16th staging. That growth mirrors a broader trend in Georgia wine country: a 2025 economic study from WineAmerica found the state's wine industry generates roughly $7.74 billion in total economic activity and supports more than 22,600 direct jobs across 92 wine producers and nearly 1,400 vineyard acres statewide. White County, home to Yonah Mountain Vineyards, ranks alongside neighboring Lumpkin County as one of Georgia's top grape-producing areas and a primary stop on the Georgia Wine Trail, per Farm Monitor. Governor Brian Kemp officially designated the muscadine as Georgia's state grape in 2020, recognizing the crop's long history even as North Georgia's mountain vineyards increasingly focus on European vinifera varietals.
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