This fall, experience Georgia’s Dahlonega Wine Trail

By Anne Braly

Breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and hills coming alive with vines laden with grapes ready to be picked signal that Dahlonega is ready for one of the most special times of the year. The weather turns cool with the autumn breezes and the leaves offer us their dance of many colors, making it the best time of the year to travel the Dahlonega wine route to taste the fruits of the harvest.

The trail crosses the Dahlonega Plateau and into the town itself and is dotted with eight wineries and a dozen tasting rooms. It’s something southerners have known for a few decades – the perfect altitude and climate for producing European grapes. But it wasn’t until four years ago that the area was recognized by the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco and Commerce as a U.S. wine-growing area, a game-changing designation for wineries in the county. by Lumpkins.

“It has helped put Dahlonega on the map and solidified our wine country as an important region in the country,” said Sam McDuffie, Director of Tourism for Dahlonega-Lumpkin County CVB.

Here’s a sample of what you can sip, taste and do at some of the wineries. They’re all different, but the same in some way: wonderful wines with a depth of flavor that mirrors and in some cases surpasses American wines in regions that previously held pride of place. But now Dahlonega wines have earned the respect of winemakers and have earned a place among the best.

Three Sisters Vineyards and Wine Estate

Three Sisters Vineyards is the only winery along the Dahlonega Wine Trail that produces all of its wines from grapes grown on the farm. Photo by Anne Braly

As her six-seater utility vehicle slowly climbs between rows of wine dripping with green and red bunches, Sharon Paul stops to pick a bunch of Chardonnay grapes.

“Here. Try a few,” she says, before getting back into her 4X4 and continuing our way to the top of the hill. Reaching the top is what we came to see.

Pointing to a sparkling white gazebo where weddings take place, there are three matching peaks in the distance. “That’s where our name comes from. The Three Sisters,” says Paul.

Paul and her husband, the late Doug Paul, opened Three Sisters Vineyards in 1995, becoming the first family winery and the first legal winery in the county since Prohibition.

“We moved here from Atlanta to raise our daughter in a better place, and Doug said, ‘I think we should plant some grapes. “”

These few grapes now have nine different varieties that grow on the 187-acre farm and produce 16 different wines, ranging from dry rose, pinot blanc and cabernet to off-dry blends such as the Fat Boy range which comes in red, pink and white. . All the wines here are 100% from the estate.

The tasting room, where wines are also sold by the bottle, is open Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sit on the covered veranda and enjoy a tasting of four wines and a beautiful view of the vineyard. For more information, visit threesistersvineyards.com.

Cellar and Restaurant Montaluce

“Wine and wine culture are built around passion, right?” asks Matthew Garner, general manager of Montaluce Winery and Restaurant as he looks around the vineyard. Photo by Anne Braly

If you’ve been to Tuscany, you might get a sense of deja vu as you climb the hill to Montaluce, past rows of vineyards and villas of Italian architecture, leading to a magnificent structure with beautiful elements of the Old World which houses a tasting room, a wine shop, a restaurant and the wine cellar where the magic happens.

“Wine and wine culture are built around passion, right?” asks general manager Matthew Garner, gazing at the vineyard, its rows of vines and the beautiful backdrop of the southern Appalachians. And this winery puts a lot of passion into its product, producing around 10 wines from its grapes, all of which can be purchased locally or online if you have an address in Georgia or Florida.

Montaluce is one of several wineries on the Dahlonega Wine Route that offers a full-service restaurant. In fact, Montaluce has two restaurants.

La Trattoria di Montaluce is more casual and is open for lunch Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. Brunch is served on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Montaluce Winery and Restaurant is on the main floor and offers a more elegant menu with artistic cheese boards, pastas, Tuscan flatbread, filet bolognese and exceptional wines to accompany, such as a good Vognier to sip with a bowl of cucumber-melon gazpacho or Montaluce Cabernet with a hoisin pork chop. It opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 9 p.m. weeknights and Sundays; 10 p.m. on weekends.

Hoison pork chop on a bed of fried rice is a popular choice on the menu at Montaluce Winery and Restaurant. A glass of Petit Verdot Réserve 2019 is an excellent pairing. Photo by Anne Braly

The winery offers a typical wine tasting experience, but adds wine tours and fly fishing along the Etowah River to its lineup of activities. A visit to Montaluce encompasses the beauty of Tuscany, the experience you might find in Napa, and blends it with the grace of Southern hospitality.

Go online to montaluce.com for reservations and more information.

Wolf Mountain Vineyards and Vineyards

Karl Boegner, left, and his son Brannon Boegner are proud of their wines’ winning awards at the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles International wine competitions. Photo by Anne Braly

Wolf Mountain is the first Georgian winery to win Best-in-Class and two gold medals at the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles International wine competitions for its Cabernet and Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine. What does this mean for a family winery in the mountains of North Georgia? A lot, says Karl Boegner, who planted the first vine at Wolf Mountain in 2000.

“To face all the Cabernets that are found in California is probably one of the things I’m most proud of,” says Boegner.

The vineyard grows six varieties of red grapes on its property in Wolf Mountain and sources grapes for its white wines from nearby farms. The winery produces 17 wines – white, red and sparkling.

“I keep saying enough is enough, but it’s fun,” says Karl’s son, Brannon Boegner, who followed in his father’s footsteps and is now a winemaker and general manager. “When people go up the mountain, we want them to understand that they will get the same caliber of wines as if they were in Napa or one of the great wine regions in the West.”

Wolf Mountain’s Sunday brunches are a legend and in high demand. There are two seatings – 12:30 and 2:30 – with a jaw-dropping menu that changes with the season. The September menu features French cuisine; October is a harvest festival.

Lunch is served Thursday to Saturday from noon to 3 p.m., with a menu of salads, sandwiches, pizzas and if you’ve never eaten fries, you’re in for a treat. Have you ever seen them on a menu before? It’s a house specialty, and for good reason. The fries are steamed-oatmeal covered in panko and served with a chilli cheese remoulade. A different menu of starters and pizzas is offered in the tasting room.

Reservations for lunch and brunch at Wolf Mountain can be made through opentable.com. For more information about the winery, visit wolfmountainvineyards.com.

Accent cellars

Tyler Barnes Accent Cellars
Tyler Barnes was a former Montaluce winemaker who left the mountain with fellow winemaker Tristen Vanhoff to open Accent Cellars, the only winery within the city limits of Dahlonega. Photo by Anne Braly

Accent is the only winery located within the city limits of Dahlonega, a stone’s throw from the town square, and does not grow its own grapes, but is really picky about the grapes it sources from Georgia, in California, Washington, Texas and North Carolina, really everywhere owners Tyler Barnes and Tristen Vanhoff can find what they’re looking for.

“We’re interested in quality,” says Barnes.

Sourcing grapes from other vineyards is something many wineries do. In fact, Barnes says he can think of only five in Georgia who don’t, Three Sisters being one of them, he adds.

But all the wines are made on site, such as a very good Riesling that draws praise from those who don’t like the sweetness of many Rieslings. Accent produces a dry Riesling with grapes from Washington’s Yakima Valley and has become a house favorite, along with Underdog, a red made from Chambourcin grapes, a popular new varietal with a deep cherry finish. Beautiful.

The tasting room is open seven days a week and stays open later than other wineries, until 8 p.m. most nights. Bring a picnic or order a cheese platter, let Accent provide the wine and you’ll have a memorable day in Dahlonega. This place is new and vibrant – an urban winery with live music on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons, art lessons on deck, and the occasional comedy show. For a full list of everything happening at Accent, log on to accentcellars.com.

Kaya Vineyards

Kaya is the largest vineyard on the Dahlonega plateau and offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains, as well as a fine selection of wines and a restaurant with a casual menu – salads, sandwiches and a few other appetizers. But a visit to Kaya is not complete without a wine tasting. Kaya and its sister winery, Twisted, come together to offer 20 different wines, ranging from a dry, dark pinot noir to Grace, a softer white blend, to a very sweet rose. There is a taste for every palate.

Dahlonega Square Hotel is one of many historic inns located just off the downtown square.

But traveling to the mountains isn’t the only way to get a taste of Kaya and Twisted. The Tasting Room at Dahlonega Square Hotel and Villas is open Monday-Thursday 11am-6pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-7pm, and Sunday 1pm-6pm for a drink or bottle of Kaya.

To learn more about Kaya Vineyards, visit kayavineyards.com.

Discover Dahlonega

Want to discover Dahlonega? Log on to dahlonega.org to learn more about its restaurants, hotels – 804 hotel rooms in total – and vineyards. And please don’t drink or drive, instead make wine tour reservations with Dahlonega Wine Tours or DahloneGO while you visit dahlonega.org and let someone else drive.

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