This location was really nice. Came on a winery tour and this was 1 of 3 stops. Everyone was very…read morepolite and knowledgeable. The wines were really good. It was a nice experience. I would recommend.

Tasting: $17 + tax for 5 1-oz. pours; Souvenir Wine Glass $8…read more The Cottage Winery was not on our original itinerary but was recommended to us after another winery we wanted to visit was closed for Thanksgiving week. The property is beautifully situated on a hillside with views of the vineyards and mountains. You couldn't ask for a more scenic setting. They have two tasting rooms joined by a massive deck, and areas below for cornhole and other games for the families. My wife and I shared two tastings so we could maximize our experience with their wines. Madison poured for us and explained that their wines were made from estate and Lodi, CA sourced fruit. She was so nice, and the rest of the staff were very friendly, but unfortunately, not well educated on the wines they were pouring. Several times (and from several people), we heard the comment, "I don't know, I just work here" and "they don't tell us these things" in response to us asking specific questions about the wines, sources of the fruit, aged in stainless or barrels, etc. Granted, we can be "wine snobs", but this was basic info that they should be able to tell customers. I blame management for a lack of proper training. In general, we tended to like the wines that were made with the CA fruit. They also sell snacks, meat & cheese trays, and other beverages. The day we visited, they had a local food truck selling pizzas, which looked darn good, as well as live music in the Penner Tasting Room. As I always say when it comes to wines, what I like/dislike may be different than you, so I recommend you give them a try for yourselves. Find a wine you like, buy a glass or bottle, admire the views, and enjoy!

Very nice place to sit and relax for an afternoon. We sat facing the vineyard with a bottle of…read moreChardonnay. Will be back. Staff is super polite, friendly, and helpful.

a postcard and a wine glass had a baby, this would be it. Kaya Vineyards delivers picture-perfect…read moremountain views, wines that actually make you slow down, and a cheese & charcuterie board that understands its assignment. Every pour felt thoughtfully paired, every bite elevated the experience, and the setting alone is worth the drive. This is the kind of place where you accidentally stay longer than planned--and regret absolutely nothing

Wonderful winery. The staff are very courteous and friendly. We had a bottle of Zinfandel wine and…read morepopcorn as a snack. The wine was superb and the popcorn was great. The business offers indoor seating, outdoor seating and additional seating in chairs on grass that overlook the vineyards. The business only allows service animals and has a guard dog on premises, which is very friendly. Overall we had a great experience and will be back soon!

This winery was very laid back and cozy. They have a fireplace and several areas with couches…read more I enjoyed the live music and easy way to do the tasting which came in a flight with the type of wine you wanted to try. The wine is more of a 3/5 but the ambiance of the winery added more points for me. The food was easy to go food like salads, flatbreads and other easy to share foods. I got the margarita flatbread and it was delicious. I recommend this winery to anyone new to drinking wine and want a chill place to hang out with friends.

We had the most wonderful experience at Doghobble Winery! Our son was married last weekend, and we…read morehosted the rehearsal luncheon in the wine tasting room--it was the perfect setting. Jess did an incredible job helping with setup, decorations, and flowers. Honestly, the space already has such a beautiful vibe and ambiance that very little was needed. The food was outstanding--from the charcuterie board to the pizzas, empanadas, salad, and bruschetta--everything was delicious. The servers were all pleasant, attentive, and made the afternoon feel seamless. I can't say enough about how smoothly everything went. Thank you to Jess, Robin, Nathan, and the entire team for such a special and memorable celebration of the bride and groom!

By far the best wines we had on this tasting day! Beautiful winery and vineyard with lots of…read moreseating, indoors and out. The staff was really knowledgeable and offered suggestions on flights. The vibe is very laid back. All the wines we had were very solid. The standout, surprising us, was the Norton! We also liked the dry muscadine! They were able to mellow out the foxiness without drowning it in sugar. Do not skip out on the empanadas!!! Get the 4 and try them all! The chimichurri is phenomenal. Our favorite empanadas was the beef picadillo. Great wine, great food, great vibes. A must visit in the area!

We planned our day trip to the North Georgia wine country specifically to visit Frogtown. Very…read moredisappointed that they were closed on our 11/30/24 visit. Nothing was posted on their website mentioning this fact. We arrived to a deserted winery and after walking around to see what was happening, we were met by a gentleman who worked there, but said that they close every year for Thanksgiving week to visit their family in California, which is where we travelled from. On top of this, a couple weeks earlier, we met their daughter (Jordan Fiorentini, winemaker at Epoch Wines in Paso Robles, CA) and told her that we were going to visit Frogtown during Thanksgiving week, and she also didn't say anything about them being closed. They really need to work on their communication...

This is a difficult review to write. 3.5 would be more accurate…read more First, the wines are exceptionally good. The Voignier was excellent. And another full bodied red, COAX, was terrific. But why on earth have us sample them when they aren't available for purchase? Oh, I know. Join their Citizens Wine Club and get them shipped. And that's the entire focus. They pushed the club to the point we were uncomfortable. Also, the educational push was much. Georgia grapes. California grapes. Swish. Don't swish. Aerate. Don't aerate. Don't refrigerate whites. Yada yada yada. Let folks enjoy their wine any dang way they want. Don't judge. There's no right or wrong. Food? Expensive, but excellent. A sandwich is large enough to split. But there's a $6 split fee because they double the side salad and chips to two plates. That's a mandatory up charge. The small cheese plate was ample. Wines & Food? 5 stars. The hype & push took away the joy of the experience. Unfortunate. These are superb wines. Enjoy them. Just avoid sitting at the bar and the lecture that comes with it.

IN THE MOOD FOR SOME MEAD | we brought our pup up to North Georgia with us and after a hot…read moreafternoon sitting outside, we found Tesnatee River Winery and Meadery dog friendly indoors. Indoors they had a small shop of local goods and products like soap and honey. All tastings come with a complimentary bread basket so of course we had to do the tasting. She poured one taste at a time, describing each wine or mead as we went along. Once we finished one, she would come back with another pour. Overall it was a boozy and tasty experience - will definitely be back for more!

The reason I like the mead here is that it uses locally grown muscadine and honey, which are unique…read moreto the South. The owner's love for the local area is evident, and he has skillfully utilized the flavor of carefully cultivated honey. This natural and delicious mead is highly recommended--it won't leave you feeling overindulged! I also want to tell you about Yukon(dog) who is their greeter. When we were leaving the meadery, Yukon appeared out of nowhere and bid us farewell. According to employee Denise, Yukon enjoys greeting customers and is an outstanding team member. Very well-behaved!

Came here for a tasting and had a wonderful experience! Their wines are truly quality wines. We…read moreenjoyed every wine we tasted and if we weren't flying home, we would've bought more than just 3 bottles. They have a variety of dry and sweet wines, as well as beers and slushees. Their tasting bar was spacious, and there's also a store with a variety of items for sale as well. We also had a great tasting experience with Katie who was very personable and did a good job balancing chatting about the wines with us, and helping other customers as needed. I highly recommend for anyone in the area who enjoys great wine!

We were greeted the minute we walked in the door. I ordered a tasting a they were super…read moreinformative and attentive to me. Then we got a charcuterie board and ate it while listening to music enjoying the outside fresh air.

What could be better after a hike on beautiful Yonah Mountain than a visit to nearby Yonah Mountain…read moreVineyards? A lot of things as it turned out. Although the setting is admittedly spectacular, acres of hilly vineyards with views of the mountain behind, and the patio was certainly fancy, the tables each with fire pits in the center providing cheery warmth, the tasting experience itself was sub-par and overpriced. It lacked the authentic feel I've seen in other wineries and seems more of a tourist destination. First thing I noticed is the shockingly high tasting fee of $35 for a flight of 4 2-ounce pours of their choice. No substitutions allowed! Either these are some spectacularly great wines or this is a major rip-off. I passed. But since I was here I decided to have a glass. I got one of their estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon. It was around $16 but since I was here. It was good, but certainly not worth the $48 they charge for a bottle. For the $35 do you get individual attention, descriptions from the bartender about the wines and about their winery? No. You get 4 labeled glasses to take back to your table. Not worth it. Find another place less touristy, more authentic. That shouldn't be hard. There are like 65 wineries in the area!

"Wine enters through the mouth, Love, the eyes…read more I raise the glass to my mouth, I look at you, I sigh." William Butler Yeats With the beautiful backdrop of the rolling hills of North Georgia, Yonah Mountains Vineyards delivers real wine and real romance. Whether it's for an afternoon date, or a full out wedding among the rows of vines, it's hard not to feel love in the air. Great outdoor seating, both covered and uncovered, place you right above the beautiful vineyard and allow you to take it all in. Yonah Mountains Vineyards separates itself from the others by providing familiar wines such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay etc as opposed to the traditional Muscadine wines of the south. The wine itself is decent, but definitely not near the quality of the west coast wines, but all were enjoyable. I particularly liked their Genesis 12, a red wine blend, and their Viognier, an impressive white. Wine flights are around $60 with a choice between white, red, or mixed. Bottles run around $40-100. A little pricey for the product, but then again, it's the whole experience that you are buying, and it's money well spent. Yonah Mountain Vineyards strikes the perfect balance between classy and casual. You'll be just as comfortable in jeans as in a tux or a horrid bridesmaid dress. Cheers!

We absolutely love CeNita Vineyards. It's never overcrowded and has such a welcoming local vibe…read more The service is top-notch, the wine is excellent, and the live music combined with the peaceful, breathtaking views makes it the perfect spot to relax. Shout-out to Cayden for being an awesome bartender and to Jeremiah Osterman for his amazing singing and guitar music.

The service was great! The day we were there it was slam packed, but everyone was super patient and…read morekind. The wines were delicious, and the snacks were tasty too!

This place was lovely! Clean, quiet, generous, and cozy. I would recommend it and will try to go…read moreback!

We knew right away we wanted a rustic wedding, speaking to both our childhoods. With my family from…read moreVirginia, my groom's family from Alabama, and our love of North Georgia, we zeroed in on several properties throughout this area. After visiting over five properties, all were either too rustic or too cookie cutter perfect. On our final site visit, we knew we had found THE place at Mountain Laurel Farm. The farm is located just inside the Chattahoochee National Forest which provides so many scenic views. Driving up, you're just taken away by the tranquil peace of the property. The barn itself is quite rustic, but it's so charming and still provides the basic necessities (restrooms, electricity). Although there is no climate control, we had no issue with the heat on our wedding date after opening all the doors and windows and adding a few household fans. I do wish there had been more resources in the catering room; I'm hoping Melody can make some upgrades there in the future (running water/industrial sink, ice machine, larger fridge/freezer). However, our caterer had no issues with making the catering area work for them. Melody, the property owner/manager, was incredibly easy to work with. She was so patient throughout the process, quickly answering all my questions and concerns. She has so much décor and so many props and furniture available at the barn, along with her linen rentals, you really only need to show up with your food and beverage. She had lots of good ideas about how to set-up the barn so that it would maximize space for our guests. We loved having access to the farmhouse for the wedding day. Although no one lodged there, it was a welcome place for me and my bridesmaids to finish getting ready, as well as a cool spot for our wedding party and us to rest after the ceremony and before photos. It was fun to look out onto the ceremony space before the ceremony and after and see all of our family and friends gathering for our special day. The property is located a short distance from a major interstate, and just off a main highway, with close access to resources (grocery store, entertainment and cultural activities, department chain stores). This was helpful to our friends and families, all traveling in from out of town. Most of our guests made a weekend of the trip, visiting Helen, wineries, water activities, and all the other things the area has to offer. There are many rental cabins close-by and we also held a block of hotel rooms in Helen which was convenient for our guests. If you are looking for a charming rustic location with wonderful amenities and breathtaking views, I highly recommend Mountain Laurel Farm for any wedding or social occasion!