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Dahlonega Georgia Wineries

Wine Jane and I recently attended an event in Dahlonega, Georgia which gave us an opportunity to do some wine tasting.  We only had time and stamina to visit two wineries and we chose Frogtown Cellars and the adjacent Three Sisters Vineyard.

FROGTOWN CELLARS

We knew we would be arriving at lunch time and we selected Frogtown Cellars because the menu of their restaurant appealed to us.  In fact, our lunch was delicious and I recommend including this in a trip to this part of Georgia.

Following lunch, we moved to the tasting area.  Apparently, it was pickup weekend for their wine club members and the bar area was extremely crowded and noisy for a Friday afternoon.  The two servers were too busy for any discussion, so they repeated their memorized script for each wine and quickly moved down the line to the next customer.

Frogtown Cellars is one of the largest wineries in the area with 43 acres of planted vines.  All of the wines are 100% Estate grown and made.  Their wines have won many regional and national awards.
We especially enjoyed the blend "Applause, 3rd Standing Ovation".  This wine is 40% Touriga Nacional, 31% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Tannat.



Photo from Internet

THREE SISTERS VINEYARDS

When you leave the parking lot of Frogtown Cellars, you drive down a short lane to Three Sisters Vineyards.  The winery's  name comes from its view of Three Sisters Mountain. This was a much smaller tasting room with a laid back vibe.  Our server, Chad, was friendly and well informed.  We found the wines here to be softer and more delicate than the intense wines at Frogtown.  We were greatly impressed with their Sparkling Cuve'es made in the champenoise method (secondary fermentation in the bottle) which is the method used in French Champaigne.  We also both were enthusiastic about the Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend.  All in all, we enjoyed the tasting at Three Sisters more than Frogtown.


Photo from Internet

At both wineries, we made sure to taste the Norton or Cynthiana wine.  Norton is the only native American grape that is made into a dry, premium wine.  My friend, the Norton Wine Traveler, has been encouraging me to try Georgia Norton wine so this was a good opportunity.  Norton wine is a dark somewhat tannic wine suitable for pairing with rich meats.  I am still on a learning curve with this wine.

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