Travels in Georgia - A Visit to Montaluce Vineyards

Montaluce Vineyards in Dahlonega, Georgia link to website

Yesterday was such a beautiful fall day in our area of Georgia and we were thrilled that this was the date we had booked a vineyard tour in Dahlonega. Our son had given my husband (through Travelzoo link to site) a gift certificate for this tour back in June as a birthday gift and with all of the rainy weather and other events we had scheduled, this was the first good date for which we could book the tour. We were VERY lucky that it just happened to be one of the best days of the season - if not year.

First, a little about Dahlonega. From their official website link:

Guide

An “Authentic” getaway only an hour north of Atlanta, Dahlonega is the historic site of the first major U.S. Gold Rush and excels in hosting visitors seeking relaxation and “Adventure”.  “Arts” and entertainment fill downtown Dahlonega’s National Registered district where preserved architecture surrounds shopping, dining, music, and theater just a gold steeple away from the traditions of North Georgia College & State University. 

The property bordered the Etowah River used for kayaking and other sports - there is a rich Indian history of fishing on the river.

Another site for Dahlonega featured a great photo of the vineyard itself - obviously this is one of the areas star attractions. The tour included a 1.5 plus walk through the vineyards property with an expert guide who talked about the history of the area as well as the vineyard property (over six years old) and the process of growing grapes and producing wines. She was clearly knowledgeable and our group of 20 or so visitors had a great stroll which became a little more strenuous in the hilly areas. We felt we actually got a little exercise here!

Some of the vines were producing a second harvest. Because of the heavy rains, the vineyard was experiencing some atypical growth patterns and had also lost some vines because of excessive rain. Overall production of grapes, however, was up. 

Birthday boy on trail back to restaurant/winery. 

Yours truly with vineyards in the background. 

View of group tasking room and some of the holding tanks in the winery. 

We enjoyed our visit and made a commitment to return to the restaurant which was truly outstanding with great views of the vineyards and mountains beyond. The wine was pretty good too!