Dahlonega, GA - Montaluce Winery

Montaluce Wine

For the last few years I've heard quite a buzz about the new wineries sprouting up in the mountains of North Georgia.  Last month I decided it was time that I go check one or two out.  On a gorgeous fall Sunday, my husband Bruce and I rolled down the top of my Mustang and took the one and half hour drive to Dahlonega, a quaint historic gold-rush town that has become the heart of Georgia wine country.  After doing some online research I decided our first visit will be to Montaluce Winery. 

The beautiful entrance to the Montaluce Winery. 

The experience was delightful.  The tasting room and restaurant were esthetically beautiful, the views were lovely, and the wine tasting was very enjoyable. On that Sunday afternoon, Montaluce was comfortably filled with wine lovers mingling in the tasting room, on the back veranda, and in La Vigne, their popular restaurant.  Since we’d been sitting for several hours on the drive up and decided to stand at the tasting bar and enjoy our wine there.  You can select five wines to sample for $16. There are 10 choices total (not including their reserve selections) and between the two of us, we had it covered.

Some very tasty wines at Montaluce

After sampling them all we definitely had our favorites.  One of the whites that we enjoyed most was the Primaluce, a 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and the Pinot Gris, made from grapes grown on the estate. The other, my favorite white, was the Viognier, produced from Oregon grown grapes.  Our favorite overall wine was a glorious red, aptly named Super Georgian, a remarkable blend of Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, created from estate grown grapes.  We were not the only fans, as we noticed numerous people ordering bottles to take home with them.

The aesthetic Montaluce tasting room. 

After tasting our wine we wandered around to take a few photos and found the back veranda an especially pleasant place to hang out.  They had a couple of guitar players strumming some easily accessible music, perfect to complement the wine tasting experience.

Enjoying wine and music on the back veranda.

Montaluce has only been producing wine for five years and can already be proud of their product.  The buzz is correct.  North Georgia wine is pretty darn good.  I’ll be back to taste more soon.

The view from the back patio. 

Danielsville, GA - Boutier Winery

Boutier Winery tasting room on a gorgeous winter day.

The great thing about living in Athens, GA is that there are a number of unique venues in the area to explore.  When work and budget constraints do not allow for travel, I have plenty of places in my back yard to check out.  And that's just what we did one Saturday this winter.  We took a little wine tasting trip to Boutier Winery, small boutique vineyard just 20 miles from Athens.  To call it a vineyard, is a little premature, but the proprietors do have plans to grow grapes in the future. At present all their grapes and other fruit are provided by other growers. The wine is made on premise and some is quite good. 

A wine barrel candle holder handcrafted by Victor Boutier.

When traveling from Athens or Atlanta, you drive down several pleasant country roads to get to Boutier.  Located on a top of of hill, the small attractive building that houses the tasting room and event facilities, is surrounded by unique sculpture, gardens and a wine barrel fountain.  Upon entering you find yourself in a beautifully decorated and warmly inviting tasting room. In addition to wine tasting, there are unique wine related gifts available for purchase.  I particularly liked the wine barrel candle holders hand crafted by the proprietor. 

Victor Boutier and his kitchy fruit wines.

What did we have: Our friend and petsitter, Emily, bought us gift certificates for wine tasting.  Otherwise the cost would have been $10 each.  Of course that is waived with the purchase of wine.  We received personal service from owners Victor and Mary Ann Boutier. We sampled all the traditional grape wine choices available at that time, and a few of their other fruit wine specialties. Victor, the winemaker, makes small batches and bottles maximum of 1500.  He sells his wine at the winery and it is offered at several restaurants in Atlanta.  Their red wines include Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Elegance Vin Rouge and Hot Flash - a combo of Petit Syrah, Malbac and Syrah.  We only tasted two of the white wines, a Reisling and Chardonnay. We really liked the crisp dry Reisling. Their specialty is their fruit wine.  With names like Diva 'Licious and The Skinny Bitch and The Cranky Bastard, you know they're not taking themselves too seriously, but I actually enjoyed both the peach and blueberry wine.  It wasn't as sweet as you might think and it would couple beautifully with dark chocolate.



The warm and inviting tasting room at Boutier.

What was fun: Just discovering this unique little winery close to home was a treat.  We really enjoyed the personal attention we received from the proprietors.  The wine was fine and we even bought a couple of bottles to take home with us. I love the entrepreneurial spirit of the proprietors and local flavor that inspired this winery in the back hills of Georgia.

Dundee, OR - Domaine Drouhin

The attractive entrance to Domaine Drouhin Winery. 

Domaine Drouhin offers wine tasting in a sophisticated atmosphere offering spectacular views.
What did we have: the standard three flight wine tasting plus the bonus of a couple of special varietals
What was fun: the scenery is breathtaking, the wine is elegant, and if they happen to open a few special bottles, you're in for a real treat.

Enjoying fine wine on the outdoor patio. 

After enjoying a leisurely hour of wine tasting at the comfortable Erath Winery with our good friends, Betsy and Larry, we only had time for one more stop that afternoon. So we made our way up the winding roads in Dundee, Oregon to the highly recommended Domaine Drouhin. The winery sits perched on top of a high hill. The unassuming entrance led way to the spacious tasting room and outdoor patio.  I would call the decor sophisticated minimalist, sleek styling featuring rich earth colors. Very fitting for the fine wine we tasted, and quite the opposite from the homey feel of Erath.  Once we ordered our wine tastings - a flight of three wines for $10 - we found a table on the outdoor patio and were impressed with the dramatic view of of the 225 acres of vineyards.  It was simply gorgeous. Sitting next to us was a table of patrons who clearly were VIPs.  The red carpet treatment was being offered this group as bottles were being opened and wine was being tossed out after a few sips.  This is important to note, because we benefited by their visit that afternoon.  Our attractive server was very informative, explaining about each wine we sampled. The Drouhin family also owns the Joseph Drouhin Winery in Burgandy, France. Both wineries produce outstanding wine and have won numerous awards internationally and are rated very highly by the Wine Spectator.

At Domaine Drouhin it's all about the wine and the view. 

What did we have:  We enjoyed all three wines offered in the standard flight.  Prices ranged from $30 a bottle for the crisp 2009 Oregon Chardonnay Arthur to $65 for the bold 2007 Oregon Pinot Noir Laurene.  We all enjoyed the $50 bottle of the 2009 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley where 95% of the grapes are estate grown and the taste is richly layered with bursts of fruit.  We were in for a real treat when our server brought us a couple leftovers from VIP table.  Our bonus wines included a Chablis produced in Burgandy, and the very special 2000 Oregon Pinot Noir Louise Cuvee, a bottle that usually sells for $100.  Even my unsophisticated palate could appreciate the depth and elegant character of a very good bottle of wine.

What was fun:  The setting itself is quite wonderful, and the wine is excellent.  Picnicking is not allowed at Domaine Drouhin, so a trip there is all about the wine and the view.  Although we thoroughly enjoyed our special wine tasting at the estate, none of us felt compelled to buy a bottle to bring home.  Since several varietals are widely distributed, it won't preclude me from purchasing a bottle or two in the future.

Dundee,OR - Erath Winery

The colorful front entrance to Erath Winery's Tasting Room.

Erath Winery offers a relaxing atmosphere in a lovely setting featuring excellent, moderately priced wine.
What did we have: a sampling of Erath wine while sitting on the outdoor patio overlooking the vineyards
What was fun: drinking quality wine with good friends in a scenic location

It's hard to beat an afternoon of wine tasting in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  It is even better when you're  reconnecting with good friends who have relocated to the area.  We chose Erath Winery as our first stop.  Erath has wide distribution of their well known Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, and we've enjoyed many a bottle over the years in Georgia.  I was curious to try some of the estate wines and other varietals.  We drove up a winding gravely road surrounded by fields of grape vines on our approach to the winery.  The tasting room and outdoor patio is located at the winery on the top of a rolling hills with rows upon rows of ripening grapes,  After enjoying a substantial and tasty lunch at the Community Plate in downtown McMinnville, we did not bring a picnic lunch as you are invited to do at the winery.  We definitely wanted to sit outdoors where we could enjoy our conversation while leisurely tasting wine and taking in the scenery.  It was a lovely experience.

A couple of happy wine tasters.

What did we have:  The wine tasting consists of six samples of wine for $10.  If you spend $30 on wine, the tasting is free.  Since there were four of us, and planned to make at least one more winery stop, we chose to share two tastings.  Our server brought them out to us, and for over an hour we tasted wine, enjoyed our converstaion, and took in the beautiful view. We sampled a 2010 Pinot Gris Rose, 2010 Pinot Blanc, 2009 Pinot Gris, 2009 Estate Selection Pinot Noir, 2008 Battle Creek Pinot Noir and a 2008 Leland Pinot Noir.  Bottle prices range from high teens to around 50 dollars.  We enjoyed them all, but my favorite was the moderately priced  Estate Pinot Noir. It has a hint of fruit and hint of smoke, bold yet bright, with a smooth finish.  My husband liked the festive Pinot Blanc so we left with a bottle of each. Our friends also bought a bottle of Pinot Noir, so there was so the tasting fee was waived.  

The view from the outdoor patio.

What was fun:  Erath is the perfect setting to enjoy wine tasting with friends.  The location, nestled in the rolling hills of the Willamette Valley, enhanced the experience. The hostess was relaxed and unpretentious, and encouraged us to enjoy our time there. The quality of the wine is good and the prices were friendly to our dwindling vacation budget. Next time we'll bring some cheese, bread and fruit along with us, drink a little more wine, and linger a little longer.