Belle Meade Plantation's winery is off to a fast start

Bonnie Scotland, Inquirer and Iroquois are the names of champion horses linked to the Belle Meade Plantation.

But come Christmas, they'll acquire new fame: They'll become the namesakes for bottles of wine produced at the site. The nonprofit is getting necessary permits to become Davidson County's only licensed winery. It hopes to sell its inaugural line this winter.

"As far as news from nonprofits, all you hear is doom and gloom; it's nice to not be waiting for the economy to change. We plan to make our future happen," said Alton Kelley, the plantation's president.

"It's all about sustainability as a historic site. We are and always will be a historic site. It will never be a winery with a historic site. We view it as one more revenue stream."

Plan is to start small
The plantation will work with Keg Springs Winery in Hampshire, Tenn., where most of the grapes will come from, Kelley said. The grapes will be crushed and processed there, but filtering, bottling and corking will take place at the plantation — with the help of volunteers. Visitors will be able to observe those steps and taste the wine.

Kelley said he couldn't tell at this point how much money the joint venture with the Hampshire winery would cost.

"It's going to cost a lot more than it would in Napa Valley, where they can produce juice to make wine at about $3 a bottle, including the bottle. In Tennessee, we're a little better than twice that," he said.

The project, two years in the making, will start small, with about 3,000 gallons of wine and eventually expand to no more than 10,000 gallons, Kelley said. Bottles will range from $15 to $20, he said.

"It's going to be Tennessee's quietest winery," Kelley said.

"Obviously, in the heart of Belle Meade, we cannot grow, crush and ferment vines because it's an industry. In deference to our neighbors, we're going to do the quiet side of the winery."

But even a "quiet" operation had to receive approval from the Belle Meade board of commissioners, after numerous meetings and public hearing sessions.