GEORGIA WINE COUNTRY TOUR

Sat-Sun March 10-11

$169
(transportation, tasting costs and hotel)

This sounds like fun. It's like Sonoma or Napa valley right in our own back yard. There are few tours offered, unlike those famous California wine country ones, so we are doing our own. Join us for a weekend getaway sampling the numerous wineries of North Georgia. We'll schedule 4 to 5 wineries per day Saturday and Sunday, checking out their tasting rooms and enjoying some special events scheduled for the St Patrick's Day celebration. Saturday evening will be an overnighter in Helen for dinner or to party, and then we continue the trip without Sunday. Trip includes the all the wine tasting costs and tours (most aren't free anymore). Depending on our scheduling we may even have some "private" tastings just for our group.

A little history..

All through the 19th Century, Georgians grew and produced products from wine grapes.  Local historical accounts tell of family vineyards from Blairsville to Pine Mountain.  In the 1890’s, several hundred Hungarian immigrants relocated to Haralson County-near Bremen-to establish vineyards and make wine.  These new wine-producing communities were named Budapest and Tokaj.  Soon with the introduction of the Georgia Prohibition Act of 1907, most of Georgia’s farm wineries and vineyards were abandoned.  After prohibition was appealed, Georgia’s wine industry ripened with the aid of surplus peaches and tomatoes.  However, European winegrape production didn’t really develop into what it is today until the late 1970's-early 1980’s, when modern day pioneers like Gay Dellinger of Cartersville planted Split Rail Vineyard, Dr. Maurice S. Rawlings established The Georgia Winery in Ringgold and Tom Slick established Habersham Vineyards & Winery in Clarkesville. The Panoz family followed suite in 1981 with the introduction Chateau Elan Winery in Braselton.

Today, a new economic plan is taking shape. Georgia is becoming a celebrated place to not only produce traditional sweet mucadines...but premium winegrapes as well. “Georgia’s Wine Country” stretches from Savannah to Young Harris. Fruit wines, muscadines, American and European winegrapes are grown all over Georgia.

The Georgian wine is seen by many as a hot new “green industry” categorized as “Agri-Tourism.”   More individuals and families are entering Georgia’s booming agri-business on a yearly basis. The number of vineyards and farm wineries are predicted to double over the next ten years.