Dahlonega, GA, Wine-country Vacation (November, 2015)

After reading about Dahlonega's wine country, I suggested a trip to Bill. He was enthusiastically on board and especially interested in trying the Norton (Cynthiana) wine advertised by two of the five wineries. Bill had tried Norton wine in Missouri, but I had never tasted it. I wanted easy access to the downtown, so that and the time of year limited our housing selections. We settled on the Golden Pines Villa; it was a good choice, being a recently renovated quardruplex just off the main street.

We shopped some the first day specializing in antiques, art, and the visitors' center. We lunched at the Crimson Moon, probably "hopping" at night, but calm when we visited--just the way we like it. Good food was an extra bonus as was the choice of applesauce as a side.

*******************
Last edit 2015-11-18.
Note: As mentioned in the banner, this area of Southern Matters is private; if you are not a family member, friend, or invited guest, please enjoy the public areas of Southern Matters or exit. Thank you for following our Honor Sysem. This file may contain copyrighted material; the authority to grant permission for its use does not rest with us. Otherwise--for our original material--the following citation format is suggested: "Southern Matters, accessed yyyy/mm/dd."

We chose Montaluce (below) as our first winery visit. Montaluce is a spectacular estate with homes as well as the winery and vineyards. The houses there also embrace the Tuscan style of the winery and restaurant.

Inside the 25, 000 square-foot winery, the decor is what I call Modern Lodge with its high-timbered ceilings, simple but sturdy handcrafted stools, and very thick wood table tops. The fire and upholstered benches, as well as the elaborate display of wines on the wall behind the bar, made for a cozy setting for our wine tasting. Bill, of course, chose a red-wine flight, beginning with Chambourcin (a French-American hybrid dating to the 1960s). The remainder were well known viniferas, such as Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Seeing Bill's interest, the sommelier brought out two additional (complimentary) wines, including their premium Cabernet Sauvignon (shown in foreground). Too bad that Bill had to drive and leave so much good wine, and I sensed his pain.

I prepared meals to take, and we had dinner at our "villa" and planned for the next-day adventures, and then I was off to bed early. Our housing was quite cozy and we had all the comforts of home.

Next day, our mid-morning outing was back to town to hit more shops and Bill planned to see the gold museum. First, because of the rain and our mood, we had coffee and pastries at Picnic Cafe and Dessertery. All was fresh and delicious.

Bill then went through the museum with an eighth-grade class and enjoyed it immensely, probably as much as the wines. So much history (the oldest standing courthouse in Georgia houses the museum) and fun facts (the lower courses of brick contain gold--which is visible in places--whereas the upper courses were made of brick cast after the gold had been extracted from the mud)! The staff was excellent and the volunteers were no less. One of the latter was a retired geologist, who explained the association of gold with particular formations. Another volunteer was a numismatist and he let individuals hold some of the coins (in tamper-evident cases) that were minted onsite, well, actually up the hill on what is now the University of North Georgia (where Bill--as a cadet--spent a brief period). Meanwhile, I had just as much fun, and am proud to report that we dodged all the candy stores.

On our list next was Wolf Mountain Vineyards (4 images below) Once again, the area was very hilly and very beautiful. We made reservations for lunch and were seated by large windows with a panoramic view (bottom panel).

We enjoyed several wines, the first two, blends of Chardonnay and Viognier. In the second blend, the Chardonnay had been fermented in French oak and aged on the lees. Both of these techniques require a skilled winemaker ( aromatics in whites are susceptible to damage by the microoxygenation that occurs in barrels and improperly managed lees can yield more than mouthfeel). Our other wines were red, and Bill's favorites, Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Shiraz.

Next, we drove to Cavender Creek Vineyards (images, below). It is the smallest and newest of the area's wineries, being founded in 2007. This year, the original owners retired and a young couple will establish their place among the Lumpkin County wineries. We wish them the best and know that her sunny disposition in the tasting room will be an asset. Cavender Creek had an intimate country feel, and we enjoyed the cheer of two couples from Alabama who had been seriously tasting that morning.

After we tasted their sweet muscadine wines (residual sugar=6%), we're inclined to make some of ours sweeter--so far, we have always stopped short of 3%, and that was only for a crisp white. I tried my first Norton wine, a truly American heirloom-grape wine, and one that requires considerable ageing to be its best.

Our final visit was to Three Sisters (below), Dahlonega's first Farmily-Farm Winery and, we note, highly recommended. All of their wines are so-called "estate wines," indicating that the fruit was grown on the premises. For those who value terroir, obviously, this is paramount.

We each had a full flight, comprising canonical European varieties. Unfortunately, we missed their old-vine Norton, as a supplier had not delivered labels!

Return to Documentation for this page.
Return to Image Workshop home.
Return to Southern Matters home.