Last month our friends Larry and Bev from Big Dude’s Eclectic Ramblings, along with Bev’s sister Pat, invited us and my BIL & SIL Stuart & Sandy to join them for a tour of north Georgia wine country. They were staying in their RV at Vogel State Park where we met them and headed out on the winding roads for the heart of Georgia wine country.
The wineries are located in the foothills of the Southern Appalachian’s Blue Ridge Mountains. You can see by the pictures why they call these the Blue Ridge Mountains. They look just this blue almost every day.
According to the Georgia Wine Growers Association, the mountains combine the perfect terrain, soil, and elevation necessary to produce wines very much like that of Italy’s Piedmont region, which produces some of the most prestigious wines in the world.
We agree. Their wines are excellent. You’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into little Italy. It’s hard to believe these wineries are only a couple of hours north of Atlanta.
The wineries & vineyards are perfect for weddings and family get-togethers. And they are a whole lot closer than Italy if you live in the states. They also make a nice day trip if you’re in the Atlanta area and want to get away from the city and breathe some fresh mountain air while you sip wine and tour the vineyards.
Here’s a link to the Georgia Wine Growers Association website to see more about the eleven different wineries in the area, including Crane Creek Vineyards. I did a post about Crane Creek Vineyards (link here) a couple of years ago.
I’ll keep the words short and let you enjoy the lush vineyards and the scenery.
Our first stop was Blackstock Vineyards. We brought home several bottles of their Viognier, which we thought was excellent.
Decisions, decisions…
We took a break and ate lunch at the Back Porch Oyster Bar in nearby Dahlonega. I’m still bragging about how good the Hatteras style clam chowder was. For more pictures and about our lunch, please jump over to Larry’s blog.
After lunch we headed to Frogtown Winery where their rosé was very reminiscent of the French rosés of Provence.
Cheers from north Georgia wine country!
Our group, L to R – Pat, Bev, moi, Stuart, Sandy, Meakin, & Larry.
Have a great week everyone.
All pictures may be enlarged by clicking.
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Wow, Sam. I had no idea such a beautiful wine region was so close. Great post.
ReplyDeleteNow that's my idea of a fun day Sam! Gorgeous scenery and great wine-enjoy:@)
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful area. Will be near there by Tuesday. Thank you so much for posting this. Hope to see you soon. Susan
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! it's great to know that more vineyards are sprouting up all over the States - beautiful pictures
ReplyDeletemary x
And all the picks are great..I love visiting vineyards.You have such a great time together.What a happy group.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how beautiful and green everything is. It's been rather brown and tan around here for months due to the drought. Nice photos Sam and I had no idea Georgia had wineries. Larry and Bev told us all about it while they were here and we even shared some of the wine with us. It was really good.
ReplyDeleteI had recently read about the Georgia wine country. Nice to know you thought it was worth the drive! I am going to try to get there in the near future. Thanks for sharing the links Sam. Your pictures are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful place! That is such a lovely wine region.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosa
That blue haze is very familiar to me as I grew up with those mountains "protecting my back" in Virginia. I've not been to the north Georgia vineyards but imagine the wines are somewhat similar to those in Virginia. The growing climate is very much like that of the Italian Piedmont.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
Such beautiful photos - I had no idea wine was being produced in Georgia. I think of the stories from the early days of this country when Thomas Jefferson failed to get a wine crop up and running, and it's amazing how far we've come, discovering the potential for new regions and micro climates all over the country.
ReplyDeleteNice job Sam - I really like yopur vineyard shots. That was truely a fun day and we look forward to the next time. We're stsrting East today
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about Georgia wine, either. And when you think about it, the growing climate does make sense. Looks like not just beautiful country but a wonderful time.
ReplyDeleteoh its just breathtaking! I can only dream about going to the wine country right now! With 2 little ones its on my list but not for a while. I will just "live" thru your visits! LOL!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a good day out, cheers. Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Sam,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely day, your photo's are just beautiful. I had no idea that Georgia had such beautiful wine vineyards. We will be visiting Georgia in the near future and this will be a great tour to take.
Hope you are having a wonderful day and thanks for sharing!
Miz Helen
How fun and so much cheaper than a trip to France, love these pictures, will have to put this on the "must do" list! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful countryside! It looks like you could have been in France or Italy. What a wonderful place to get together with friends :)
ReplyDeleteLove outings like that - and you all look so filled with cheer - and I suspect that's not just the wine! Love the Blue Ridge Mountains - used to vacation there in my teens. Nowadays, I'm closer to the Rockies!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful time you had in beautiful countryside, with fine food and wine, and such excellent company. I especially like the last photo that shows a group of very happy folks, so enjoying being together and having such a happy and fun time.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely trip you have made & what a lovely scenery & countryside too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your exeriences with us, dear Sam! :)
Beautiful pics too! :) xxx
What a great trip - I enjoyed Larry's photos and now it's great to see yours too. Lovely!
ReplyDeletelucky lucky you!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos, Sam. You guys sure have fun together. I haven't done a wine tour in ages, so it was fun to go on yours!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip, Sam! Excellent scenery, food, wine and company...such fun!
ReplyDeleteHey! I recognize every single one of those people in that last line-up. What a great looking and funny bunch of folks.
ReplyDeletehalo im listiani from indonesia i like your blog
ReplyDeleteafter reading this post i really like it as its make alive my old memory with my friends as we enjoyed lot with paso robles wines at affordable price........
ReplyDeleteLindo post imágenes maravillosas lindo escenario de campo y viñas me encanta el aire de campo,abrazos y saludos desde el sur de Chile.
ReplyDeleteNorth Georgia wine country really looks amazing! Just seeing that view all around makes the wine tasting all the more wonderful. And yes, the Black Porch Oyster Bar really hits the spot if you’re craving for fresh oysters, and their clam chowder is really superb. Goes well with a glass of wine too.
ReplyDeleteCorey Glenn
Hi there! I found you through your comment on Jamie's blog congratulating her on her published pieces and saw that you are (were?) a Carolina Girl! I live outside of Raleigh! At any rate, we discovered Georgia wine country about 8 years ago when we were still living in Florida. We've become good friends with the Innkeepers at Cedar House Inn and Yurts, where we stay every time we visit. North Georgia is indeed producing some fine wine, and we have glasses with "Blackstock" "Three Sisters" "Frog Town" "Wolf Mountain" "Yonah Mountain" etc etched on them from all the tastings we've been to! Such a beautiful area of the country hiding just north of Atlanta! =)
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