June 20, 2014 Second Trip
Oh, boy! This was a big trip! Once again with Little Dude in tow, I set out for Dahlonega. Lumpkin county is serious about promoting their vineyards, as a result the street signs are very helpful.
After some negotiating with the Little Dude we determined that we would go to one winery, head back for "gem mining," and then resume the winery tour.
Cavender Creek Vineyard
3610 Cavender Creek RoadDahlonega, GA 30533
(770)823-9255
http://cavendercreekvineyards.com/
First stop on today's tour is the furthest east in the Dahlonega collection. We had to step over Charlie Brown, a dog, to get into the tasting room which made Little Dude very happy! Nothing like a kid and a dog.
There were two other couples here already but they had two people serving so that was not a problem. The tasting room, once again, has that newly sawn wood smell that I love so we were off to a nice start.
The tastings are 4 for $5. Don't worry, I bought a new camera, photo quality will improve in July. Not all of their wines are included on the tasting menu and the sweet wines are from Still Pond Winery in Arlington, GA (http://www.stillpond.com/.)
The two story cabin that you see in the front is available for rent.
The gentleman pouring for me is a middle school teacher during the rest of the year, so if you see him give him a hug, some gratitude, or a prayer! Because of his training he's quick and has excellent peripheral vision, both great qualities for serving large numbers of people. While we were there several other people showed up and it was a Friday. Dahlonega wineries pull in a larger crowd than most of the outliers. If you go on a weekend be prepared for it!
Now to the "gem mine."
Three Sisters Vineyards
439 Vineyard WayDahlonega, GA 30533
706-865-9463
http://www.threesistersvineyards.com/main.asp
We got some pretty minerals and now back to the Mommy fun!
This is apparently the place to be on weekends in June. They host large events that often include other area wines. You purchase your "tickets" to do wine tastings before you approach the bar. Tasting sessions start at $10 and depending on which you choose can include a souvenir glass.
They have a small cheese, cured meat, and snack collection that is great when it is past lunch time for the Little Dude. In addition to the bottles of wine they offer a "Georgia Jug" which is a 3liter jug that you can bring back to have refilled. At this point I think I should mention that Little Dude gets lots of compliments on his good behavior. We're not burdening the GA wine community with a monster.
They also have a decent collection of ugly jugs. Before all was said and done I had a little wine, Little Dude had a truffle, cheese, and Sprite. There was a couple here from Miami that were spending their vacation hopping the wineries of Dahlonega, so it's not just locals. We could hang out here all day, but there is "work" to be done!
We heard a rumor that Frogtown has sandwiches.
Frogtown Cellars
700 Ridge Point DriveDahlonega, GA 30533
706-865-0687
http://www.frogtownwine.com/
Under the walk leading to the front door is a koi pond with some large fish. Some are so I large that I suspect they leave the pond at night and hunt small mammals, but we're here for the food and wine.
Let's get down to business. By now it was two o'clock and we were hungry! Good news for us, they were still serving food.
Little Dude chose the Sweet Georgia for us to split because he is currently obsessed with bacon. It was enough for the two of us to eat. They have a large selection of wines and grow 24 varieties of grapes on site!
Frogtown has another location just outside of Helen, but that's another day.
Just to clarify, a tasting including all of the Thirteenth Colony wines is $7. There was a very civilized bachelorette party here and roughly 12 other people at the bar when we arrived. Things cleared out a bit after we ate so it became an atmosphere more to my liking. There's a porch that wraps around 3/4 of the building with good views and provided Little Dude with some space to roam.
Of course the fish kept calling him back. We met a couple from Wisconsin in town for a wedding that were happy with what they had discovered here. The secret is getting out! By the time we left it was 4:50 and Little Dude wanted to proceed on to Montaluce. I made a phone call and...
Montaluce Vineyards and Estates
946 Via MontaluceDahlonega, GA 30533
706-867-4060
http://www.montaluce.com/
they were serving the evening meal, dinner or supper, that night and would be open until 8:30pm, come on by!
What's particularly interesting about Montaluce is that is was developed as a neighborhood with a winery and restaurant at its center point interspersed with vineyards. Here's some of the homes..
Things are dramatic, well landscaped, and interesting here. The restaurant largely requires reservations but don't despair things are not as tight as it might seem, but it's always good to call first.
They have a large dining room or you can eat outside on the sizable patio overlooking a vineyard. Did I mention the patio has ceiling fans? Good stuff.
Regardless, you can get snacks from the bar.
We got the tzatziki and took it out on the porch. Wine tastings can be taken outside too.
Tastings are $16 for any 5, including the mead. Let me say that they did not pour samples, they poured 1/2 glasses of wine. We ate our tzatziki with pita points, drank water, and walked around the grounds for a long time afterwards. Here's the upstairs banquet hall, picture was taken through a glass door to the upstairs patio where there is a constant breeze.
The front of the winery/restaurant. Valet parking is available.
June 13, 2014
Took a major leap of faith today and cruised up to the mountains on Friday the 13th during a full moon. Dahlonega and surrounding Lumpkin County are at the epicenter of the fine wine movement in Georgia. On the square downtown there are two tastings rooms representing Habersham, Tiger Mountain, and Crane Creek. Two blocks east in the Carriage House building The Cottage and Currahee wineries share space. Soon another tasting room will open in the Carriage House for "Georgia Wines" which will be all native grape based products.
Downtown Dahlonega is an easy walk around, has free parking, and their visitor center is genuinely useful (and they have public restrooms.) Little Dude and I walked about and hit all of the tasting rooms to see what they had. The average price is $1 per sample. There is an odd local ordinance that does not allow minors to sit at the bar while adults are being served. To that end, The Cottage tasting room has set up some small scale furniture for people to sit who are not participating.
Within that same building there is a couple trying to finish out a museum dedicated to Cherokee culture and their story. Little Dude enjoyed it on his own level of appreciation. One thing he appreciated the heck out of was the fudge shop! Lots of sugary goodness there. The Gold Museum ( http://gastateparks.org/DahlonegaGoldMuseum) was also great for both of us. There wasn't much going on, so when he decided to get a bag of stones a park ranger came over and helped him make sure that he got some good ones. We'll be back next week to hit the outlying wineries!
Wolf Mountain
180 Wolf Mountain TrailDahlonega, GA 30533
706-867-9862
http://www.wolfmountainvineyards.com/
Normally when I visit a vineyard I like to take my time and wander around, but Little Dude was antsy and the place was crowded. This quickly became an information retrieval and run trip. The good news is that we've been here before and have some perspective.
The wedding pavilion.
Wolf Mountain contains no live wolves much to the chagrin of Little Dude. He insisted we come up here today because he thought that would be the only reason why the vineyard would have that name. On our arrival the main parking lot was full, so we circled down to one of the side lots. The driving here is a bit precarious, narrow lanes with sharp turns. If you are bringing a long automobile or considered chartering a bus to bring a group, call first and make sure your vehicle will make it through.
Down stairs tasting room
The primary tasting room and restaurant are upstairs on the main level. Reservations are required for dining. Sometimes last minute reservations are available so don't count yourself out until you call.
On Sundays they have brunches that feature changing subjects:
I didn't get the full pricing on the wines because the tasting bar was packed out and they were doing their best to keep things going. I'm not here to make life hard for anyone! Featured wines on the tasting menu have their prices labeled. The basic idea is that they range from $18.95 to $38.95.
Some of this information may lead you to believe that this would be a bit of snooty establishment, but it is not. Every person I've encountered on both trips here have been very gracious, helpful, and did not recoil at the sight of children. The views are wonderful and I hope to have a chance to eat here soon.
They also have cabins onsite for rent and a large stone Honeymoon house.
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