Just

outside Brooks on Ga. Highway 16, there is a

modest fruit stand fronting the Ison's family

vineyard of muscadine grapes. Every season, Leola

Ison Hugeley sells between 300 and 400 boxes a

week to motorists passing by who want fresh fruit

or culls, the overripe grapes or those stung by

bees, to make wine.

"Everybody

who stops, has their own recipe, and it's the

best," she says, of the amateur wine makers.

"We

sell probably half to three quarters of our fruit

right here," Hugeley added.

But

the real story behind the Ison's Nursery and

Vineyard stretches over 102 acres in neighboring

Spalding County and across the world's

continents, where growers have planted more than

40 different varieties of Ison's patented

muscadines.

In

1934, Grady Ison started the vineyard, which was

taken over by his son, W. G. Ison in 1964. W. G.

enlarged the growing space and successfully bred

and crossbred the current 23 bestselling

varieties and developed the mail-order business

which ships fresh fruit and approximately 150,000

plants worldwide. After his death in 1995, the

Ison children have taken over the daily

operations of the business.

With

a bestselling grape named after her, Janet

McClure, one of the three daughters, is the most

involved. In addition to handling the grapes, she

also created seasonal "visits to the

country" for school groups, where children

can come and take a hayride, pet the animals and

feed the fish at the old farm pond. Janet's

husband Carlton, an Air Force veteran, handles

public relations and gives tours of the various

vineyards.

Last

week, he showcased the vineyard which produces

the black scuppernong, Supreme. Plus the more

exotic grapes like the Pineapple Muscadine and

the Fry Seedless Muscadine.

The

grapes are naturally concealed by the leafy

growth of the vines and McClure has to reach in

under the shoulder-high plants to pull out a

bunch of the fruit, which glisten in the bright

sun.

Taste

is everything, and the Supreme is every bit of

its name, succulent and sweet. The Pineapple,

named by W. G. Ison, is golden and tangy. The Fry

Seedless is tiny and sweet. The grapes are all

nearly picked, ending a three-month harvest which

starts around the middle of August. In January

and February, the vines are pruned back and the

old growth is cut away. The grapes bloom on the

new growth, according to the Isons.

"It's

not a crop you have to work with

constantly," Leola has observed. Her

son-in-law, McClure, said a plant will produce

grapes for up to 20 years, with a drop-off rate

occurring at about 15 years. "Each vine will

produce about 130 pounds of grapes," he

said.

The

clay in Georgia's soil is actually beneficial to

grapes, Leola said, giving them a sweet taste.

During the growing season, water is essential,

with plants taking in about 36 gallons daily.

The

season will end in about a week, so get your

grapes while you can by visiting the Ison's

Vineyard on Hwy. 16 or call them at 770-599-6970.

Take the Ga. Highway 85 Connector from its

intersection at Starr's Mill on Hwy. 85 through

Brooks to its intersection with Hwy. 16 south of

Brooks. Turn east on Hwy. 16; Ison's Vineyard is

on the left as you drive eastbound.

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