| Gems Found in Georgia Mountains |
| You may be surprised to learn that every state
in our fair country has at least one winery. Georgia has over
a dozen, some well established and some bottling their first
vintages this year. Connect With Wine recently visited several
of those wineries and was very emboldened by the signs of a
growing dedication to viticulture (growing and harvesting grapes)
and viniculture (making of wine) in our own back yard. Join
us as we recount our tour and the tidbits we picked up along
the way. Then plan your own weekend on the Georgia Wine Highway
with our list of recommendations below. |
| First stop, Habersham Vineyards and Winery…we’ve
visited the Helen tasting room previously. Perfectly situated
on the path that leads to Georgia’s infamous Bavarian
village, which requires a stop if you’ve never been (“a”
stop, that’s one, and plenty in our estimation!), the
tasting room and winery is clean, comfortable and loaded with
wine paraphernalia for purchase. The wine consultants are knowledgeable.
Mark Martin helped us weave our way through Habersham’s
broad offerings. We tested quite a few wines including Signet
(a light style, dry, barrel and stainless fermented Seyval Blanc
and Chardonnay blend), 2001 Viognier, 1999 Estate Chardonnay,
2000 Creekstone Reserve Chardonnay (a little too toasted, overwhelming
the grape in our opinion), 2001 Creekstone Merlot (very young
and tannic, needs some age), 2001 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon,
2001 Creekstone Cabernet Sauvignon (had some nice depth), and
their Scarlett (a very drinkable blend, soft, and smooth, with
lots of fruit, ever so slightly sweet with a touch of effervescence). |
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| Back in the car, we wound our way up US 129 past boiled peanut
stands, fresh honey signs, home-canned jam and jelly temptations
toward Young Harris and Crane Creek Vineyards. Eric Seifarth,
proprietor, farmer, chemist, marketer, and, interestingly enough,
also Ex-military, started growing grapes in 1995 and bottled
his first vintage in 2000. He has seven acres planted with French/American
hybrids, as well as your traditional Vinifera varietals including:
Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Chambourcin, and Norton (a native American thick skinned, red
grape, that produces a BIG, robust red, in fact Eric blends
it with his Cabernet Franc to mellow and tame it). His easy-going
farming style and agricultural techniques are largely influenced
by his nine years in Italy where he learned much from the natives.
He recalls that the Italians had centuries to learn what grape
grows best in each area. He believes firmly in growing the variety
of grape the ground will take best and not forcing the grape
to adapt. Eric partners with Doug Paul’s Three Sisters
Vineyard and Winery (which was closed for the weekend but will
be the subject of a future visit) for their Chestatee label.
Eric will continue to partner with Paul but is in the process
of building his own winery where he’ll craft his Crane
Creek vintages beginning with the 2003 harvest. We tasted a
Rose, a Vidal Blanc and a Seyval Blanc as well as a Three Sisters
label Pinot Blanc. Our last sampling was Chesatee Red, which
is a merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon Blend. Eric
was very enthusiastic about is upcoming release of his Cabernet
Franc, expected sometime last month |
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| Our favorite stop was Wolf Mountain Vineyards and Winery.
Our visit was just one week prior to their grand opening, but
Proprietor Karl Boegner graciously hopped off his mower and
treated us to a first class tour and tasting. First the facilities...
The vista is a site to behold. The winery is perfectly situated
atop Wolf Mountain, a name given after Karl’s son’s
Alaskan Husky/Wolf breed, with a gorgeous southern view of the
Appalachian foothills. Surrounded by vines of Syrah, Mourvedre,
Cabernet Franc and Touriga, the stone buildings including tasting
room, retail store, cask room, winery, tasting porch and deck
complement the scene. Karl designed the building to be very
functional and comfortable with lots of old-world charm. His
wife’s interior design is splendid in every detail –
French antiques including winemaking implements, detailed woodcarvings,
simple and charming use of a variety of fabrics. The writers
at this point feel we just can’t do the description justice.
It’s a “must see it for yourself”. |
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| All of Wolf Mountain’s wines are made from 100% Georgia
grown grapes and are all aged in expensive French oak barrels
(Nevers, Vorges, Allier). Their first planting was in spring
of 2000 and first vintage of 6,000 bottles in 2001. We sampled
“Plentitude” (a blend of Seyval Blanc and Vidal
blanc) straight from the stainless fermenter, nicely dry with
a prominent pineapple nose, heavy citrus (grapefruit) and a
unique sizzle. We also tasted the very well balanced “Chanteloup”
(French for “Song of the Wolf”), which was a medium-bodied,
lightly oaked, blend of Chardonnay and Viognier. We couldn’t
help but envision flash fried oysters as a perfect accompaniment
to this wine. We then moved on to Karl’s reds. “Instinct”
is his blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre and Cabernet Franc,
however, this wine will change slightly each year. The 2002
will be released in approximately 5 months and it contains different
blending percentages. The wine is fruit forward, medium-bodied
with a very nice finish. “Coupage” is a blend of
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with complex berry
flavors. Both reds are very drinkable now but will most assuredly
improve with age. Overall we found Wolf Mountain’s creations
a cut above our other Georgia wine experiences and look forward
to tracking their growth and new releases. The winery is open
for tastings (including special food parings if you wish), private
events and special weekend celebrations such as their Father’s
Day Classic Car Show and Cookout on June 15th. |
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| Finally, we stopped in at Habersham’s Dahlonega tasting
room where Judith let us test some Muscadines. We felt a trip
to sample Georgia wines wouldn’t be complete without sampling
from the state’s homegrown native vine. Their “Peach
Treat” would make an excellent complement to a fresh baked
poundcake! Additional Habersham tasting rooms are also located
in Juliette, Baldwin and Underground Atlanta. |
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| CWW will be visiting Three
Sisters Vineyards and Winery, Tiger
Mountain Vineyards and Winery, and Frogtown
Cellars in the coming months. Please stay tuned for our
upcoming reviews. |
| Of Special Note: ConnectWithWine
was scheduled to run a seminar on Georgia Wines last Sunday,
June 8th, at the Villa Christina Wine Festival. Due to the loss
of a dear friend, we had to pull out. However, Steve Gibson
of Habersham, Karl Boegner of Wolf Mountain, as well as Bill
Stack of Tiger Mountain stepped in and took over. Thank you
for providing wines for this tasting event as well as your time.
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| We’d love to her your comments or entertain
your questions. Please contact us at info@connectwithwine.com |
| Travel Stops |
Wineries in the North Georgia
Mountains:
Blackstock Vineyards – open for tours in late spring
Chateau Elan Winery
Crane Creek Vineyards
Georgia Winery
Habersham Vineyards and Winery
Three Sisters Vineyards and Winery
Tiger Mountain Vineyards and Winery
Wolf Mountain Vineyards and Winery – Grand opening April
6, for a fantastic schedule of 2003 weekend events click her
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Wineries and Vineyards
Soon to be Open:
Frogtown cellars - opening early August 2003
Persimmon Creek Vineyards – opening mid-July 2003
Worth the Stop:
Nacoochee Grill – next door to Habersham Vineyard and
Winery’s Helen tasting room, owned by Gene Mara, highlights
include BBQ Duck Quesadilla, Smoked Trout and Salmon Roasted
Corn Chowder, French Country Salad, Chicken Pot Pie, Grilled
Grouper Filet, Full Slab Baby Back Ribs, and Homemade Fruit
Pies
Helen, GA – brew, brats and kraut, sideshow “artists”
The Crimson Moon Café, Dahlonega, GA – live music
every night, coffee shop, wine bar and art gallery
Big Canoe – weekend rentals, hiking, golfing and incredible
views
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Please email info@connectwithwine.com
with any questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from
you.
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