North Georgia Wine Country Weather:
-Dahlonega/Northeast Georgia weather: Click Forecast / Local radar / Regional radar
On location/Clayton, Ga. Wineries, Tallulah Gorge, Goats on the Roof
No. 1/Top your winery visit list this Saturday with a trip to Tiger Mountain near Clayton.
We didn't know what to expect from this 10-year-old winery in the Northeast Georgia mountains. We've tasted some of the wines while at Naturally Georgia in Dahlonega and liked what we sampled. Plus co-owner Martha Ezzard (with husband John) and I have mutual ties and friends at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. So we were anxious to visit Tiger Mountain and return to Clayton for the first time in 12 years.
-The winery: It is tiny by comparison to some of the offerings in Dahlonega but what Tiger Mountain lacks in size is compensated for quickly by way of atmosphere, snacks and the wines (especially Burton Blanc). We visited during the first of two Leaflooker Saturdays and timed the trip perfected. This roadside winery (park on the east, sip on the west) has a wonderful patio area that was brimming with visitors Saturday. Select cheeses, excellent sausage (you've got to try the chicken and apple sausage) and the wines made for a perfect Saturday, especially at just $5 admission per person.
-The tasting room beyond the patio is perfectly sized. You can sample Tiger Mountain's wines, buy gifts and wine and get a quick read on the winery's history. It is a must visit if you're on that side of the state.
-We took home a couple bottles of Burton Blanc.
No. 2/Persimmon Creek Vineyards. We stopped by the tasting room in downtown Clayton but didn't make the tour of the winery. One tip if you want to see the winery: make reservations first. They do regular tours for $15 per person. We were a bit time crunched so we stayed downtown (it is about three miles from Tiger Mountain). The tasting room itself is very nice, done in an older, comfortable style. For $8, you get to try several wines including the Riesling and a very sweet dessert wine. Your tasting fee can be applied to a discount if purchasing wine at the shop as well. We brought home a bottle of the dryer Rei sling, having sampled a bottle over dinner the night before (see below). The tasting room or the winery pair great with a weekend trip to Clayton.
No. 3/So what else is there to do in Rabun County? Plenty. Some suggestions:
-Tallulah Gorge: This beautiful state park is a good three-hour stop if you see the sites on both rims, visit the excellent outdoors getaway. Start with a visit to the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center. You truly start your hike to one of the many "stations" around the gorge inside the Yarn Center (park details). Come prepared to do some walking/hiking (i.e., no Crocs or flip flops). You can follow the paths and multiple steps to the suspension bridge and other points. You can chose between an aggressive hike or a passive one. Just remember: You have to climb back up all those stairs you descend. Think of it as an outdoor "Stairmaster." It is work the time and effort. $5 parking fee. Do the gorge before the wineries!
-Goats on the Roof: You want to scream "tourist trap" the minute you see it. So what? Go inside anyway; you'll find a wonderful selected of Amish furniture and foods. Plus, on the exterior: those very goats on the roof. The fun part is letting the kids fill a can with goat food and using the bicycle assembly to hoist the food to the waiting goats. Also on site: A wonderful fire pit and free marsh mellows to roast. This is a must if you have kids--or what a nice break from it all. Click Goats.
-The Stockton House restaurant: We didn't do our normal research before this trip. It was election week and a hundred of other excuses. So at 7:15 p.m. on a Friday, we were sitting in the Ingle's parking lot looking for dining spots via iPhone. Up popped Stockton House. We liked the quick reviews so we called and we're given easy directions from the store to the door. As we pulled up, a few remaining brain cells reminded us: we had dined here on New Year's Eve 1995. We had a great meal but some in our party were a little out of sorts that night. Not this time. We had a perfect meal including a wonderfully stuffed pork chop, Pecan Chicken Asiago, potatoes and asparagus plus bread. Our son had pasta and devoured every bit of it. As good as the food was, the service was even better. Excellent waitress. Several visits to the table by the owners. A great bottle of locally crafted wine (Persimmon's dry Reisling). With tip and all, we paid $90--and thought about returning the next evening but collapsed at the cabin after a day at the gorge, wineries and football. This is the restaurant to visit if visiting Clayton for the day or weekend. Click Web Site.
-Downtown Clayton: This is a very vibrant downtown so try to save a few hours to tour. One must: Reeves Ace Hardware. This one goes far beyond nuts, bolts and paint. You won't believe the furniture inventory under roof. Click Reeves
Special events this month:
-Nov. 20: Holiday wine tasting in Cartersville: A 'Taste of Cartersville' is set for 6:30 until 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at the future home of the Bartow History Museum. Sample foods from downtown restaurants and wines as well as gifts available at downtown Cartersville shops. Tickets are $25 per person or $40 per couple. 21 and older, please. Lisa Poole will conduct the wine tasting; the Etowah Jazz Society will perform. Proceeds benefit the museum project and the Cartersville Downtown Development Authority.
-Nov. 21: Naturally Georgia and Bleu Gallery on the Dahlonega square welcome Tiger Mountain Vineyards’ wine makers & owners, John and Martha Ezzard for an evening of wine tasting! Click naturallygeorgia.
-Nov. 21, 22: "The Best of the Best: One Sweet Meet & Greet." So how does Three Sisters Vineyards live up to that lead-in? By offering rare tastings of " our finest dessert wines ... we offer tastings of 'Dahlonega Gold,' our special 'ice wine' made from frozen Vidal grapes, and Three Sisters 'Georgia Port,'-both wines voted the best of Georgia by 2008 & 2007 Ritz Carlton-Georgia Trend Tasting." On Saturday: Cakes, cookies and chocolates to sample and purchase. There's no admission fee.
-Nov. 29: Santa Claus is coming . . . to Yonah Mountain Vineyards' tasting room (almost) from noon to 2 p.m. St. Nick actually will be next door at Elf Works. At the Sautee-Nachoochee tasting room, you can sample nine wines for $10 and get the Yonah Mountain glass.
What's ahead at the wineries:
-Nov. 13, Annual Truffle and Wine Dinner, Montaluce Winery and Estates. "Chef Steven Hartman will be pairing Piedmont's famous wines with a multicourse dinner ... This is an annual tradition in Italy and our most exciting wine dinner of the year. A cocktail reception will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. featuring the photography of Jill & Richard Ediger with a cash bar. The dinner will start at 7 p.m. The cost: $95 per person."
-Nov. 14: Leaflooker Saturdays at Tiger Mountain, Tiger, Ga. Visit the winery between 1:30 and 4 p.m. Nov. 7 and 14 for wine, music and grilled sausages. $10 per person.
-Nov. 14: 26th anniversary wine dinner at The Georgia Winery. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7. $35 per person, includes a glass of wine. Dancing afterward.
-Nov. 15, 22, 29 at at Wolf Mountain: Seventh Annual Wild Game, Mushroom & Red Wine Festival: On the menu:
Wild Game Chili, Grilled Quail, Chicken Coupage, Venison Sausage and mushroom strudel. $30 per person. Seatings at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
-Nov. 21: Big Red Wine Release Dinner at Frogtown Cellars. $55 per person (
-Nov. 22: Wolf Mountain release; please see below.
-Nov. 26: Thanksgiving. Here's how the day is shaping up with the wineries:
>Montaluce is offering a special Thanksgiving brunch buffet from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. A majority of the food will come from regional vendors. $30 per adult and $15 for children under 11. Click Details.
>Wolf Mountain, closed Nov. 26-27.
>BlackStock, closed Nov. 26.
>We suggest you check with the wineries you want to visit before leaving to ensure holiday hours; see winery guide to the right of this page.
-Nov. 28. Special release at Yonah Mountain's tasting room (see below)
-Dec. 5, Crane Creek Vineyards, Young Harris, 11a.m. to 6 p.m. Holiday Open House. "Christmas nibbles, mulled wine, and hot cider."
-Dec. 6, 13, 20, Wolf Mountain: Holiday Open House. Homemade soup, holiday hors d'oeuvres served around the Christmas tree. Seatings are available at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Wines available by the glass or bottle. Cost: $25.
-Dec. 11-13: Winter Wine Highway, $20 per person. Your weekend passport gets you tastings at participating wineries. Details: Click Here.
-Dec. 12, Wolf Mountain, Gourmet Dinner, 7 p.m. in celebration of the Holidays. The cost is $80 per person, all inclusive and includes a six-course gourmet dinner with wine pairings> Details
-Dec. 21, Crane Creek Vineyards, Young Harris, 6-8 p.m., winter solstice celebration of the year's longest night.
-March 20, 21: Spring Wine Highway Weekend dates set: Save the date for the fifth annual Wine Highway Weekend. The 2009 edition was a huge hit . Details
Latest wine release news:
-Nov. 22, Wolf Mountain: "The release of our Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon . . . This limited vintage marks the first time we have bottled a single varietal wine and it won't be available for long! We will release the reserve to our Wine Club Members first and then the remainder to the public "
-Nov. 28: Release party for the 2009 Serenity Cellars New Vogh, 1-4 p.m. Serenity Cellars, in conjunction with Yonah Mountain Vineyards, releases 2009 Serenity Cellars New Vogh. Limited to 60 cases, it is "a medium bodied, deep, dark red that is the perfect compliment to coming holiday festivities. The release is at Yonah Mountain Vineyards Tasting Room in Sautee-Nacoochee. Jazz crooner Monica Spears of Cornelia will perform. Customers will be offered a pour of four wines at no charge or a full tasting-- including a pour of nine wines and a Yonah Mountain Vineyards glass--for $10.
-What we liked: The quick wine tour was fun--and self-guided -- although attendants are on duty. You see the production area, the underground wine library, a great event room that looks as if you're in a castle's hidden wine cellar, an expansive free sampling area, the premium wine sampling bar (much smaller) and finally the vast winery store. This is a trick we wish more North Georgia wineries would adopt: let people see how the wine is produced.
-The amenities: The winery opened in 1985 and this is a busy time to visit. Around 2,200 guests toured the winery on Oct. 16 and we were among the 2,300 expected the next day. We're pretty sure they hit that goal. The winery complex is attractive, built around the former dairy. The vineyard is off site, around 100 acres near the French Broad River. (
But we still need no more than the five samples you get at the $5 tasting/tour to know the wine isn't for us. We enjoyed the walk through the vineyards, sampled a crate of recently harvest grapes, saw the massive vats and oak sticks that make it all come together. But when we gathering around the incredible tasting bar and tried an ounce of this and an ounce of that, we concluded that we wouldn't need to stop by the wine shop on the way out to take some home. 
-Persimmon Creek using solar power to operate winery: 
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