Afraid to fly? Well, you don’t have to get on a plane to California in order to tour vineyards and wine tastings. 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.
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.
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.
Georgia is home to two American Viticultural Areas in the Southeastern US. One of these is the Dahlonega Plateau in Lumpkin and White counties. The other is the Upper Hiwassee Highlands which straddles two states – Georgia and North Carolina.
Dahlonega Plateau Wineries
Accent Cellars Farm Winery
215 Auraria Road
Dahlonega, GA 30533
(706) 867-0123
www.accentcellars.com
Cavender Creek Vineyards & Winery
3610 Cavender Creek Road
Dahlonega, GA 30533
(706) 867-7700
www.cavendercreekvineyards.com
Etowah Meadery
3003 Morrison Moore Pkwy E.
Dahlonega, GA 30533
(706) 864-6323
www.etowahmeadery.com
Frogtown Cellars
700 Ridge Point Drive
Dahlonega, GA 30533
(706) 865-0687
www.frogtownwine.com
Kaya Vineyard & Winery
5400 Town Creek Road
Dahlonega, GA 30533
(706) 219-3514
www.kayavineyards.com
Montaluce Winery & Estates
501 Hightower Church Road
Dahlonega, GA 30533
(706) 867-4060
www.montaluce.com
Three Sisters Vineyards & Winery
439 Vineyard Way
Dahlonega, GA 30533
(706) 865-9463
www.threesistersvineyards.com
Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery
180 Wolf Mountain Trail
Dahlonega, GA 30533
(706) 867-9862
www.wolfmountainvineyards.com
Upper Hiwassee Highlands Wineries
North Georgia Vineyards
Crane Creek Vineyards
916 Crane Creek Road
Young Harris, GA 30582
(706) 379-1236
www.cranecreekvineyards.com
Hightower Creek Vineyards
7150 Canaan Drive
Hiawassee, GA 30546
(706) 896-8963
www.hightowercreekvineyards.com
Paradise Hills Resort
366 Paradise Road
Blairsville, GA 30512
(706) 745-7483
www.paradisehillsresort.com
Odom Springs Vineyards
637 Odom Road
Blairsville, GA 30512
(706) 781-8275
www.odomspringsvineyards.com
North Carolina Wineries
Calaboose Cellars
565 Aquone Road
Andrews, NC
(828) 321-2006
www.calaboosecellars.com
Eagle Fork Vineyards
8 Cedar Cliff Road
Hayesville, NC
(828) 389-3845
www.eagleforkvineyards.com
Ferncrest Winery
1060 Main Street
Andrews, NC
(828) 321-1600
www.ferncrestwinery.com
Nottely River Valley Vineyards
1150 Old Culberson Rd
Murphy, NC 28906
(828) 837-7822
www.nottelywine.com
Valley River Vineyards
4689 Martins Creek Rd,
Murphy, NC 28906
(828) 837-0691
www.valleyrivervineyards.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.