Afraid to fly? Well, you don’t have to get on a plane to California in order to tour vineyards. The North Georgia mountains are home to several vineyards and wine tasting rooms offering an assortment of wine varietals. The elevation and terrain combined with red-clay soils offer favorable conditions to grow grapes offering unique character and quality. Harvest usually occurs in September and October, offering yet another reason to schedule a weekend getaway. [pullquote style=”left” quote=”dark”]Experts have observed as much as a $400 million dollar economic impact for the state based on the number of bonded wineries and farms producing fruits and honey for wine production.[/pullquote]
Georgia was actually an important winegrowing region in the 19th century, but was destroyed by Prohibition in 1907. It didn’t make a comeback in Georgia until the late 1970’s – early 1980’s when Gay Dellinger began to harvest grapes at Split Rail Vineyard in Cartersville and a local heart surgeon, Dr. Maurice S. Rawlings, began The Georgia Winery on 52 acres of land in the northwest corner of the state. Shortly after that, Clarkesville saw its first winery when Tom Slick established Habersham Vineyards & Winery in Clarkesville. The Panoz family launched Chateau Elan Winery in Braselton in 1981.
These wineries led the way for more vineyards and farm wineries in the 1990’s throughout the Georgia Mountains from Dahlonega to Tiger and into western North Carolina. As wines were harvested, tasting rooms began to pop up as well as wine tours throughout the region. Some of the varieties available from Georgia vineyards include Touriga Nacional, Sangiovese, Mataro, Tannat, Tinta Cao, Nebbiolo, Petit Manseng and Viognier. More common varieties are also available in Georgia including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Riesling and others.
Information Resources on Georgia’s Wines
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For detailed information on some of the Wineries please download the Winegrowers Association of Georgia brochure – [small_button text=”Download” title=”Brochure” url=”http://www.georgiawine.com/sites/all/themes/wag/images/WAG_Brochure_2012.pdf” align=”left” target=”_blank” style=”light”][/one_third]
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Plan your adventure by reviewing this map of wineries and create your weekend adventure – [small_button text=”Wineries Map” title=”Wineries Map” url=”https://assets.thesparksite.com/uploads/sites/4949/2013/10/Georgia-Wineries.pdf” align=”left” target=”_blank” style=”light”][/one_third]
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Create your own map including some newer wineries, like Montaluce Vineyards, by reviewing this directory – [small_button text=”Winery Directory” title=”Winery Directory” url=”http://www.lowtechwine.com/location/georgia/” align=”left” target=”_blank” style=”light”][/one_third_last]
Quote taken from http://www.georgiawinecountry.com/
Do Not Drink and Drive
And if you are planning to visit some Tasting Rooms, here are some lodging options. REMEMBER NOT TO DRINK AND DRIVE.