NATCHEZ — Second-generation winemaker Scott Galbreath III is churning out his 28th season of white, rose and red wine.

And his vineyard is the only one of its kind in southwest Mississippi, as well as the sole winery in the entire state. The business produces 12 variations of wine each year.

“A lot of vineyards exist in New York and California,” Galbreath said. “It’s a rarity to see them in the deep South, we are doing something different down here.”

His four acres of muscadines are located north of town, just across the Jefferson County line. Galbreath and his sister Diane head the family business.

The fruit is harvested with a grape picker at a rate of one acre per hour. Shallow root systems need no irrigation, so the family relies on the rain to water his crops. The major problems are wildlife.

“We put up an electric fence, but it doesn’t seem to deter the deer,” Scott Galbreath said.

The electric fence has to be tended to daily because deer walk or jump through them in order to get to the muscadines, Diane Galbreath said.

The winery has taken extra measures to repel animals.

“We have set up a system that emits an odor that deer don’t like in order for them to go away,” Scott Galbreath said.

Four other fields across the state provide Galbreath with extra muscadines. The vines do not require spraying because they are not susceptible to disease due to their high potency of antioxidants, he said.

Old South Winery’s motto is “The best in everything muscadine,” and Galbreath says they have kept that promise. The business has four employees that help Scott and his sister operate.

“The last two growing seasons were a little slower than usual with Hurricane Katrina and a slight drought, but we are really excited about this year,” Galbreath said.

The Galbreath family has been in the business since 1979, and they have not slowed since the beginning. New machines and modern processes allow the winery to churn out about 2,500 bottles a day for 40 days.

“We are always striving to make the highest quality wine with the most modern techniques available,” Scott Galbreath said.

Harvest season is in September, so summer maintenance of the vineyard is crucial. It has proven to be a delicate balancing act for the Galbreaths.

“My kids have baseball games or practice every day, so it can be hard to try and run a business,” Galbreath said.

Galbreath’s parents, sister and four children keep it running during the busy days.

“My kids can help me through the process by pressing the fruit and labeling the bottles,” Scott Galbreath said.

In addition to the maintenance of the field and bottling process, they are responsible for shipping their products.

“I have to take orders and ship out seven to eight bottles a day,” Diane Galbreath said.

Package stores all over Mississippi carry Old South Wine. The biggest part of the Galbreaths’ business is personal service.

“When you call Old South Winery, you aren’t going to get an answering service somewhere,” Diane Galbreath said. “You will get someone who cares and who is going to get your order right.”

In 1995, they expanded their business by marketing “New-U,” a dietary supplement. New-U uses the powerful antioxidants, with other nutrients found in muscadines to address a list of medical problems.

“We ship to anywhere in the U.S. and we have had a lot of great feedback from it,” Galbreath said.

Scott and Diane keep up with the fast-paced technological advances in the wine business by attending seminars, reading and taking university courses.

“We mix old techniques with the new ones,” Scott Galbreath said. “What we have now works pretty good.”