The Chautauqua vineyards were planted just north of DeFuniak Springs in 1979. The winery was built in 1989 and opened for business in 1990. Chautauqua's 40-acre vineyard can produce as many as 180 tons of grapes annually. Chautauqua uses two types of muscadine grapes to make its wines. European grapes and other non-native grapes are susceptible to Pierce's Disease, which clogs up the plants' xylem tissue and keeps it from growing.
Muscadine grapes are native to the Southeast United States.
At the Chautauqua Winery, which is open daily for tours and tastings, more than 5,000 cases of wine are produced annually. In its short history, Chautauqua has earned more than 140 medals, including numerous gold medals in California's most prestigious wine competitions and in the Florida State Fair International Wine Competition. Chautauqua Vineyard makes 12 to 14 different types of wines each year, including port wine and its own blueberry wine. The blueberries are picked at the peak of ripeness and flavor and are crushed and cold fermented with cultured wine yeast to preserve the flavor of the berries. If you already have a favorite wine, but you are having a hard time finding it, there is a place in south Walton County that can help.