Habersham Vineyards: Cherokee Rose

Helen, Georgia

I love rose.  Actually, I love dry rose.  Forget you White Zinfandel or Pink Moscoto.  But give me a nice, dry French rose any day.  Gardening and rose wines are the girliest things I do.  Well, and bubble baths, but the weather’s too warm for that right now.

Habersham Winery is in Helen, Georgia.  They have a tasting room in Dahlonega and Juliette, Georgia.  As far as I know, those are the only places to get their wines.  So this one might be hard to track down.  But it’s worth the drive.  Helen and Dahlonega are in a beautiful part of the north Georgia mountains.  Dahlonega is surrounded by outstanding wineries.  Make a day, or weekend, out of it and take advantage of Georgia winemaking at its best.

And a disclaimer: you’ll find nice, dry, California competitive wines at some of these wineries.

But back to Habersham.  Cherokee Rose is a $14.00 bottle of wine and it’s priced right.  There’s no ridiculous upcharge because of limited production from a small vineyard in Georgia.  It’s worth $14. 

Don’t be surprised when you pour it.  The color is reminiscent of a strawberry wine I tried once in Mississippi.  It’s a bright, strawberry color.  And I mean really bright.  The nose matches the color – you smell strawberries right away along with a variety of other fruits.  But it isn’t so sweet that you can’t drink it.  There’s enough of a dryness to this wine that an experienced, non-White Zinfandel loving person will enjoy it.

There is an overtone of strawberry to it when you taste.  But there’s also some interesting flowers that make me think about hot summer nights – honeysuckle comes to mind.  After that, the dry finish settles in.  Overall, a very nice local wine for someone that wants to “taste” Georgia.

I love this wine with BBQ or fried chicken.  It screams, “please take me on a picnic,” and you almost see yourself pulling it out of the basket along with two wine glasses. 

If you’re in the North Georgia Mountains, give this one a try.  I think you’ll find it worth your time and your pallet. 

And while you’re at the winery, also try the Habersham Un-Oaked Chardonnay.  Very nice.