The owners of Sweet Acre Farms Winery in Alto provided an update on the state of the business after its building was declared a total loss in a fire on Jan. 22.
Matthew and Lindsey Vrahiotes shared they were at their home when a neighbor near the winery called to tell them she could see flames coming from the building.
“Lindsey handed me an extinguisher and I ran over here and pulled into the side of the building, and the fire had started in the back, somewhere in the back corner, we don't know up what level yet, and I knew at that point that my extinguisher wasn’t going to do any good,” Matthew recalled. “I just pulled the truck up to the board fence, and we just sat there and watched it burn to the ground.”
Since the fire, friends of the winery have set up a Go Fund Me account, which has raised over $23,000 so far. Matthew and Lindsey said they are grateful for their community’s support.
“It’s been overwhelming, the amount of people who have supported us,” Matthew said. We didn't know how loved we were… [its] not just the money, but the messages and the photos they took here, and just a lot of care and attention they put into being a part of our story, and then how sorry they were that we're not here anymore.”
The Vrahiotes' also own the Sweet Acre Farm Winery Tasting Room in Helen. The couple said they will keep that location open, so long as they have inventory to sell.
“We have about 36 cases on hand, and that is the remaining of all of our inventory,” Matthew said. “Luckily, we've had other wineries donate some of their inventory to keep us going.”
Wineries that donated to Sweet Acre Farms included Newby Farm, Three Stands, Big Door and Yonah Mountain. All four wineries’ products are available at the Helen location to purchase.
The couple said that while no timeline for reopening has been set, they do plan to rebuild the winery. While they continue to finalize plans, Matthew reminded supporters that their wine can also still be purchased through their retail partners.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/1/1283975/alto-winery-owners-provide-update-after-devastating-fire