SUNSHINE & WINE

APRIL 2013

We had a glorious day for riding in the North Georgia mountains with Springtime bursting forth with trees turning every shade of green, azaleas, dogwoods and wildflowers in full bloom adding pink, white and purple to the scenery.

Our first stop was Wolf Mountain Winery where we had a tour and learned a lot about growing and harvesting the grapes and the many challenges of dealing with the wildlife that consider the grapes their personal dessert buffet. We also learned the importance of the barrels and the aging of the different oaks from which they are made. They have a delightful café where we had lunch after the wine tasting. The view was fabulous and we got beautiful shots of our Allantes’. We were very patriotic in our line up with the addition of the Neidig’s Montana Blue. The owner of the winery graciously invited us to see his car collection after lunch. It was very impressive with Porsches, Mercedes and BMW’s. A Jaguar car club was there at the same time and drew a lot of ooos and ahhs especially from the guys.

Our next stop was Cavender Cove winery. They have donkeys, sheep, goats and dogs in pastures close to the winery. While it was not as fancy as Wolf Mountain, they had a wonderful muscadine wine which is the signature grape in Georgia. The owner was so welcoming and informative. Their logo is the donkey and their two most famous wines are Jackass Red and One Eyed Jack. They were sold out of the Jackass Red, not sure if it is the quality of the wine or the name that makes it so popular. A little of both according the sales people.

The last stop on our tour was Frogtown. The restaurant and wine tasting areas are in a sprawling white colonial house that sits at the top of a mountain overlooking the vineyards. It was very crowded with a lot of happy “tasters”. The quality of their wine according to those in the “know” was the best of the three and most purchases were made here.

There was Bear in the Square festival going on in Dahlonega but it was late and we were ready to wrap up another unforgettable trip with our extra special Allante’ friends. It was a picture perfect day and we are all looking forward to another exciting weekend in May!

Bottoms up and tops down. See you next time!

Paula Vopelak - Vice President

Members on Trip

Linda and Norman Penfield

Paula and Russ Vopelak

Darelene and Coleman Armstring

Thomas Boyland

Darlene and Bud Neidig


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