North Georgia Wineries: Wolf Mountain

Winery: Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery, Dahlonega, Ga.

-Web site: Wolf Mountain Vineyards

-Phone: 706-867-9862

-Directions: Click here (about 95 miles each way from Rome)

What to know about today's Georgia wines: Georgia wineries have come a long way from the sweet, muscadine era. The wines crafted today in Dahlonega and many parts of the state have taken national honors, even when competing with what's coming out of Napa Valley and other parts of California. Put away any past prejudices--and tastes--and sample some of today's Georgia wines.

This photo, from Feb. 14, shows the vineyards being prepped for the new season at Wolf Mountain.

About Wolf Mountain: This is the winery we enjoyed the most during our five-stop Valentine's Day weekend and we never got far beyond the tasting room (which was about to be replaced by a newer version). We did stroll through the dining room, the gift shop and around the campus but the action was in the tasting room. The winery sits atop a beautiful, steep hill overlooking the vineyards. The climb from some of the overflow parking areas is a brisk one but worth it. Wolf Mountain is a full-service operation with tastings, Sunday brunch, gourmet meals and a great spot for weddings and receptions (a secondary industry popping up as the wineries popularity grows). The staff is cordial and attentive, and you walk away with a brief but wonderful background on how Wolf came to be. Our tasting options were the $10 sampling of the $20 package (you keep the souvenir glass and it also comes with a winemaker's tour on certain days). If you're pressed for time and want the best overall winery experience when in Dahlonega, this is the stop to make.

What's to taste: Wolf Mountain offers dry whites and reds, rose, semi-sweet wines and sparkling wines. Among our favorites (translation: what we brought home) were the 2007 Demi-Sec semi-sweet (which they describe as a "German-style white wine follows our tradition of blending with good balance between sweetness and acidity, featuring melon and pineapple flavors." Also purchased: The rose', a blend that "creates a refreshing, fruity and complex dry rosé to enjoy with picnics or as a refreshing beverage." Click Wine List

What we liked: Everything. And we're kicking ourselves for not making brunch reservations. We also opted out of a tour of the new tasting room because of time issues. But we'll be back, and soon, for both.

Get used to the hills: Wolf Mountain is built on the hills outside of Dalhlonega so be ready for a brisk walk.

Another plus: These folks know marketing. We brought with us perhaps the best winery brochure found during our weekend tour. It includes the basics--background on the Boegner family, hours of operation, available wines--and what seems to be a missing ingredient for some wineries: compelling reasons to return. Wolf Mountain's upcoming events list is comprehensive with the 10th anniversary celebration, the seventh annual "Awakening of the Vines," the sparkling wine and seafood festival, holiday events for Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day and even "Reds, Whites and Bluegrass Brunch in the Vineyards." The calendar goes right on through with a holiday open house set for December Sundays.

Sunday samples, sales OK, too: Our biggest surprise aside from the overall enjoyment of the trip--you can both sample the farm-grown wines on Sunday afternoons as well as purchase it for on-site or take-home consumption. The reason has something to do with state laws and agricultural products. The exemption helps promote such tours on both weekend days although Saturday remains the busiest for most local wineries.

Barnsley's winter wine series raps up this weekend: The annual wine dinners at Barnsley Gardens resume this Saturday with "the wines of Blue Rock." Prices vary between $140 and $200. Details: barnsleyresort.com. The schedule:

-March 14: Freemark Abbey with winemaker, Ted Edwards.