Southern Utah Winery Celebrates Grand Opening With a Big Splash

Something spectacular is brewing, or rather, fermenting, on the shoulders of Pine Valley Mountain. This weekend marked the highly anticipated opening rollout for Terra 5047, Southern Utah’s newest boutique vineyard and the highest-elevation winery in the entire state.

Heights & Bites

Located just ten miles outside of St. George, the winery derives its name from the exact altitude where its estate grapes are grown: 5,047 feet. Owned by hospitality entrepreneurs Cindy and Gary Ellis, the vineyard benefits from unique mountain terroir, where cooler temperatures and intense sun exposure produce grapes with refined flavors and robust tannins.

Photo by Dale Desmond

A High-Altitude "Diamond in the Rough"

The launch comes on the heels of a monumental blind tasting at Deer Valley’s Stein Eriksen Lodge, where Utah wine experts ranked Terra 5047’s varietals above legendary labels from France and Italy. The project has also earned the backing of Sonoma wine icon Pete Seghesio, who serves as an advisor to the estate, told KDXU News,

“No one could have been more surprised than I was to discover this diamond in the rough in Southern Utah, of all places,” Seghesio remarked. “The vineyard's higher elevation creates favorable conditions for growing high-quality grapes with more desirable flavor characteristics.”

Taste the Altitude

Opening weekend visitors got their first local pours of five distinct high-altitude varietals, ranging from a bright concrete-aged Rosé and a crisp Chardonnay to complex, fruit-forward reds like the Alessio Zinfandel blend, the Chanela Super Tuscan, and a smooth Cabernet Sauvignon.

Photo by Dale Desmond

For locals looking to grab a bottle, Terra 5047 is making its local splash through early St. George adopters, Southern Spirits & Wine, and Silver Reef Brewery. If this weekend was any indication, Southern Utah wine is officially on the map.