TIGER MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS

You are invited to Tiger Mountain Vineyards this Sunday afternoon, December 13th for holiday cheer and to hear classical violinist Heather Strachen from 1pm to 3pm. You will be able to taste the latest exclusive varietal - Mourvedre, made from five special barrels of "05 wine. Come enjoy hot mulled wine and special cheeses from Clayton's very own Fromage and from Tiger's Goats on the Roof! The tasting room will be open until 5pm.

There is NO CHARGE. Come and enjoy some wonderful music and some terrific wines.

"Awakening of the Vines"

The annual "Awakening of the Vines" at Tiger Mountain Vineyards is coming up on Saturday May 16, from noon to 3 p.m.. Join Tigerwine Tasters and the Abominable Seed and Feed Band for a gourmet picnic, with great entertainment and great wine! E-mail tigerwine@windstream.net or call 706-782-4777 to make your reservations by Monday, May 11.

the Clayton Crawl: wine, food and music

A great combination for a VERY FUN event planned for Saturday, July 18, from 6 - 9 pm. Crawl all over downtown Clayton to taste fabulous food and wine and listen to great music!

Taste local wines from Rabun County's award winning vineyards, Tiger Mountain Vineyards and Persimmon Creek Vineyards, along with wines from around the world that are featured on the wine lists of local restaurants

Sample great food from Rabun County's best Restaurants in Rock House Park and Veterans Park

Live music by Robert Ray and David Fry

Buy your Clayton Crawl T-shirt for just $10. The $10 charge includes a souvenir glass (while supplies last). Get your tickets at Prater's on Main Street, Fromage & Other Fine Foods and Grapes & Beans. For more info, please contact Linda or Jenny at Fromageclayton@yahoo.com or call 706.982.1284.

Remember Don't Drink and Drive. . . Crawl (to your favorite accommodations)

SECOND ANNUAL WILD AND WOOLLY WINE TASTING & AUTHOR-FIDDLER FESTIVAL

An intriguing and stellar line-up of writers, photographers, fiddlers and poets will help celebrate the month of May and the real beginning of spring in the Southern Appalachians with the 2009 Wild & Woolly Wine Tasting & Author-Fiddler Festival.

A benefit for the Georgia ForestWatch forest conservation organization, the festival is set for 10-5 p.m., Saturday, May 2, at Tiger Mountain Vineyards in Rabun County.

Count on a daylong appreciation of nature, local folkways, fine food and award-winning wine. And get set to lend your ears to presentations from colorful authors and some of the hottest mountain fiddlers in three states. Here is the line-up:

11 a.m. -- Mildred Greear, an environmental activist fierce in her love of family, the earth, and its diverse peoples. Moving Gone Dancing: A Book of Poetry that Took 87 Years to Write.
11:45 a.m. – George Ella Lyon, a “word weaver” and an activist in the fight to resist mountaintop coal removal. She found writing could be exciting, joyful, and comforting in itself. Don’t You Remember?
12:30 p.m. – Thomas Rain Crowe, one of the “Baby Beats,” and a most prolific Appalachian bard, translator, editor, publisher, recording artist and author of twelve books of original and translated works. The End of Eden: Writings of an Environmental Activist.
1- 3 p.m. – Wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres and fiddling by Scottish-style fiddler Marie Dunkle, Tiger, Georgia; old-timey fiddler Kelly Smith, Salem, South Carolina; and John Harper Duncan, maker of down-home Appalachian music, Asheville, North Carolina. Sampling of local and regional food fare, breads, butter, jam and cheeses coordinated by Cindy Halbkat of Sah-ka-na-ga Gardens.
3 p.m. – Kathryn Kolb, another dedicated environmental activist, seen by some critics as one of the best nature photographers in the country, brings us a timeless collection fine art images of natural forms and landscapes, mostly from the Southeast, in both color and black and white. Kathryn Kolb Photographs.
3:45 p.m. – John Lane, expert kayaker and educator who uses wilderness as a critical theme in his poetry, personal essays, and fiction. The Best of the Kudzu Telegraph.
4:20 p.m. – Janie P. Taylor, a Rabun County native who grew up in the lee of the vineyards, relates tales of days gone by. The Storyteller – Tales of Tiger Mountain.

See www.gafw.org for greater detail on the authors and their work and directions to the vineyards.

ForestWatch views this event as an “affordable fundraiser,” and asks for a $20 entry fee per each adult, good for the plant sale or authors and fiddlers, or both. Various items also will be raffled off, including art prints from local artist/photographers Pat Calderone and Peter McIntosh and outdoor gear from Patagonia. Signed copies of authors’ books also will be available for sale.
For further information and to secure advance tickets, call 706-635-8733 or click info@gafw.org, or review the website information at www.gafw.org or www.tigerwine.com.

Wine Highway Weekend

It's a great weekend to visit the Georgia Mountains! Visit our Northeast Georgia wineries and taste award winning wines grown and produced in our region.

The Winegrowers Association of Georgia sponsors it's fourth annual Wine Highway Weekend this Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22. There is a $20 charge per person, which is collected at the first winery visited. Travelers receive a "Wine Highway Weekend" collectors' glass, which gives admission to all participating wineries. Hours are 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 - 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Stay and dine! Many restaurants are offering exceptional dining opportunities, including the Beechwood Inn and Lake Rabun Hotel, with overnight packages available at these properties and others. Please call for more information.

Take your camera along and capture the beautiful sights and views along the rolling countryside of the Northeast Georgia Mountains. We'd love to hear your comments.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day at Tiger Mountain Vineyards

Celebrate St. Patrick's on Saturday, March 14 at Tiger Mountain Vineyards in the northeast Georgia mountains. Delight your palate with Irish cheeses paired with six award-winning wines, and enjoy an afternoon of Irish fiddling by Marie Dunkle and Kelly Smith. Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $10 The winery is located in Rabun County at 2592 Old Highway 441, Tiger. See www.tigerwine.com or call 706-782-4777 for more details.