Welcome to the Georgia Wines Web Site.
A site for wine lovers with an emphasis on Georgia wines and wineries
What we know about wine we learned through a combination of trial-and-error and research. You can learn a lot about wine and wine-making from reading, which is what we did after we realized how little we really knew about wine. One invaluable resource that we can recommend is, yes, Wine For Dummies. I am serious. If you find that text useful, you might also look into the variety of specialty volumes the basic text generated. Eventually, of course, it will be time for "field research" -- wine tasting, at home or in a winery.We have lived in both Charlotte, NC and Orlando, FL and knew something about the wine industry in those states. We discovered the wines of Georgia by accident just a couple of years ago. We wanted to get away from the Florida heat for a nice, long late spring or early summer weekend, but didn't want to spend the entire trip driving. We also wanted some mountains and hiking. The mountains of north Georgia seemed to fit the bill, so we hit the road and ended up in Dahlonega. As chance (fate) would have it, we had chosen the same weekend that the Georgia Wine Country Festival was being held (the next one is in June 2008). After sampling wines from three of the local wineries and the many vendors at the festival, we came away with a solid appreciation for the wines of Georgia. We returned to Dahlonega in June of 2007 and were delighted yet again by the quality of the grape juice in the region.
Yes, I said "Free the grapes!" and I don't mean you should only support "free-range" vineyards (assuming there was such a thing). What I am really trying to say is that not all states are created equal when it comes alcohol, interstate commerce, and shipping wine. The current maze of federal and state legislation can leave you thirsty for wine that you tasted in state A that cannot be shipped to you in state B by the winery or their distributors. This means you have to go through a local wine merchant or distributor (i.e. middleman), thereby increasing the price and the delay in receiving your beverage. There are those hardy souls calling for commercial and legislative reform allowing consumers to purchase directly from producers and retailers across state lines in a uniform fashion. As it stands now, manufacturers, purchaser, or both may end up in jail, depending on the states involved.
To learn a whole lot more about this issue, what is legal or not in your state, and what you can do to help, just click on the links! (The shackled grape is a link).
Please use the search feature for more information.
