While most holiday traditions are all about children, there are few that adults can look forward to with anticipation as well. The Georgia Winter Wine Highway is one of my favorites.

On December 3 – 5, the Winegrowers Association of Georgia holds its second annual Winter Wine Highway weekend. Member wineries will offer special tastings and most have special events planned. Associate members, which are restaurants and lodging places are offering packages and paired meals too.

You buy a “passport” at the first winery you visit for $20. That gets you into the special tastings at all nine wineries, plus a souvenir glass. These wineries are all located in North Georgia, so it is theoretically possible to hit them all in a day, but you wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. Come up for a few, or come up for the weekend and visit them all.

This is a great time to come to the mountains of North Georgia – while many of the brightest leaves will be gone, there are still beautiful places. And without the leaves, you can see further into the layers of mountains. If you don’t know about Georgia wine, well, most are not made from muscadines. There are Merlots, Viogniers, German-style Reislings and others. Many of Georgia’s wines have won prizes.  

Below are a few of the events scheduled for the weekend. Check the website for timing of certain specials and for the associate members’ events. Some events have additional costs.

Persimmon Creek Vineyards will welcome Keith Blok, head cheese maker from Flat Creek Lodge and offer tastes of the cheeses along with the wines. (Mr. Blok and Flat Creek have been winning some prestigious cheese awards.)

Blackstock Vineyards will offer tastes as well as a morsel of dark chocolate, and a seminar on grapevine wreath making!

Wolf Mountain Vineyards will have tastes from their Cask Room and special menu items of food.

Tiger Mountain Vineyards will have Appalachian Christmas music along with their tastings.

Sautee Nacoochee Vineyards will have hors d’oeuvres and Yonah Mountain Vineyards will have the music of Monica Spears as well as tastes of pre release wines.

Sylvan Valley Lodge has a lodging special for the weekend that includes a wine paired dinner.