From the mountains of North Georgia a new star is rising in the winemaking industry. Unlikely as it may seem, the climate is right and the know-how is there for all the elements to coincide for producing quality wines in this region. Several wineries are already established and a few more are setting up shop north of Atlanta in the Georgia mountains.
This developing wine region continues to establish itself with the opening of two new wineries in the Dahlonega area. Dahlonega is a small historic community just north of Lake Lanier and Gainesville.
There are several wineries along what has been dubbed as the Georgia Wine Highway. Beginning at Interstate 85 just out of Atlanta at Braselton’s Chateau Elan and extending northward through Gainesville, Dahlonega, through Blairsville and Young Harris, then southward through the Bavarian-styled town of Helen and finally back northward through Clayton. Within this route eleven wineries are producing wines of various varieties. Some have been operating for years, others for only a short period of time. Those that have recently opened to the public have been growing grapes in their vineyards and actually producing wines for a couple of years.
According to Greg Sheppard, the Lumpkin County agent with the University of Georgia Extension Service, “Our soils are remarkably like those in France. We are seeing very high quality grapes and wines here that are outstanding and gaining in notoriety.” This makes it possible to grow premium European grapes in the mountains of North Georgia.
Karl Boegner, the owner of one of the newer wineries to open in the Dahlonega area, Wolf Mountain Vineyards and Winery, explains that in the early history of winemaking in North Georgia there was little understanding of the finer points of winemaking. So much has been learned and the quality has progressed so far since those early days. Boegner says visiting the producers along Georgia’s Wine Highway is every bit as exciting as visiting the wineries of Napa Valley – but without the airfare to California. Boegner continues to say that Wolf Mountain focuses on special events that broaden the knowledge of and appreciation for culinary arts and fine wines. Wolf Mountain Vineyards and Winery is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Dahlonega. The pastoral hillside setting, the stone-encased winery and the hospitality area are the elements the winery hopes will attract visitors to experience the North Georgia Wine Highway. Their wines are 100% Georgia grown and they focus on the less-invasive protocols, like use of gravity for transferring from receptacles, hand punching caps and whole cluster pressing. The wines are aged in French oak barrels. Wine tasting tours and hosting special events, like weddings and corporate retreats, are part of the plan for enhancing the Wolf Mountain experience.
One of the newest winery in the Dahlonega area is Frogtown Cellars. The owner Craig Kritzer notes that Georgia wines have been well received in the last few years and that the Dahlonega plateau is the best region of Georgia for growing premium varieties of grapes. A part of the Frogtown Cellars’ plan is to offer formal wine education programs for people wishing to enhance their wine tasting experiences.
The oldest of the three new wineries in the Dahlonega area is Three Sisters Vineyards and Winery. Located on 184-acres in Lumpkin County, the winery planted its first grapes in 1998 and began making wine in 2000. All of the wines are handcrafted using old world traditions, but with the latest in winemaking technology. The best of both worlds. Three Sisters currently produces about four thousand cases of wine a season.
A complete experience in wine tasting can be expanded to include fine dining, tennis and golf at the Chateau Elan Winery and Resort in Braselton. Located on 3500 acres of picturesque rolling hills the centerpiece of the resort is a large sixteenth century-style French chateau surrounded by two hundred acres of vineyards where Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet grapes ripen and are harvested. Chateau Elan has received more than 275 awards for their wines and is the largest producer of several varieties of grapes. The property includes a 276-room Four Star, Four Diamond Inn, and the European-style Spa Mansion with fourteen suites, sixty-three holes of championship golf, the Stan Smith Tennis Center, a large conference center, plus eight distinctive restaurants. Chateau Elan is the culmination of the wine tasting experience in North Georgia.
The several wineries of the North Georgia mountains have given a new dimension to travel in the Southeast. Because of the climate, soil and the terrain of the hills of North Georgia, added to the increased knowledge of the finer points of winemaking, wineries have popped up in this region and the quality of their resulting wines have reached an award-winning level. To experience the fruit of their labor, plan to take a trip along the Georgia Wine Highway.
For more information:
Chateau Elan Winery & Resort
www.chateauelan.com
678-425-0900
Frogtown Cellars
3300 Damascus Church Road
Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-865-0687
www.frogtownwine.com
Three Sisters Vineyards & Winery
439 Vineyard Way
Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-865-WINE (9463)
www.threesistersvineyards.com
Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery
180 Wolf Mountain Trail
Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-867-9862
www.wolfmountainvineyards.com
in Georgia
