Cavender Creek Vineyards and Winery

It is so easy to make yourself at home here! It is a small, welcoming place. I have never been to a winery before and I think this was a great place to start. My boyfriend and I enjoyed many of the fruity, sweet wines. My favorite was Bamblin’ Sam. The tasting is $ 10 for 4 wines and it includes a complimentary wine glass. The staff was awesome and informative. The dogs were so sweet and made my experience here even better. I will definitely visit again in the summer for a nice chilled wine.

My favorite winery for this trip! It was cute and charming, with dogs running around.
Josiah, the assistant wine maker was super nice! Their best wine for me is the Jackass. They have wine slushies too! It’s sure worth a try, they were the only one that had it in the 6 wineries we went to so far. There was live music playing which added to the charm. They also serve cheese plates if you need something to nibble on other than the crackers they usually serve at wineries.

The wine here is absolutely terrible. I have never been to a winery where I had to dump all of the wine. We could not even finish anything. It was so horrible we didn’t even take our wine glasses that are paid for in the tasting fee. I didn’t need a reminder of how awful it was.
We tried all of their regular wines and 2 of the «sweet» variety (peach and blackberry). One wine we tried tasted and smelled like car exhaust.
The service was great and the staff are friendly. The atmosphere is casual.

A wonderful stop on the Georgia wine route. My husband and I stopped in for a tasting today and had a wonderful time. This place has definitely grown up since our last visit 5 years ago. The reds are tasty and I even enjoyed one of their sweet wines, which is not usually my style. The peachshine is also very special! What really stands out here is the customer service. The wonderful lady doing our tasting was knowledgable, great personality, fun, and even complimentary of other wine makers in the area, telling us about some other special wineries we should visit.

Great wine, great staff, great place to relax.
This vineyard/​tasting room is run by very polite individuals who love their jobs.
They had several tasting tables throughout a log cabin-​type building and an employee at every table. Even though it was busy, there was no wait, and the woman who assisted us was chipper and knew a lot about the wines and the vineyard. We each tasted 4 wines for $ 10 and got a free glass. (They offered sangria too, but we didn’t try it.)This winery doesn’t have pouring caps on the bottles so some of the tastes were very generous. When we were done with our tasting we were able to enjoy live music on the porch and overlook the vines.
They also have a couple of large, well-​behaved dogs that wander in and out of the building as they please. I’m allergic to any animal with fur, but had no problem at all with these two.
It was a great view with great company and I would definitely go back again.

Enjoyed wine and cheese plate and the live music on the deck on a hot GA summer day. Tastings could have been outed a tad bigger but the attendant was very knowledgeable and helpful. Overall a really nice afternoon.

Cavender Creek was the first winery we stopped on our holiday weekend. To start, the drive in past the vineyard was really cool. The landscape was fantastic and the façade was very rustic.
Upon arriving, we were greeted by their friendly staff (and friendly dogs). We were sat a table inside. Although I think we would have preferred outside. Our server was very knowledgable and once again friendly. Most of the wines were not my favorite. But they were still very good. Their Bordeaux blend was VERY good. Highly recommended if you like full-​bodied reds.
For some reason they don’t have the pouring caps you typically see for a tasting. And the result was very inconsistent pours. So you win some, and lose some in that aspect. But you could not beat the price. Four pours for $ 5 (as long as you don’t keep the souvenir glass). I would definitely recommend this as a stop on a wine tour of north Georgia.

A stop at nearby wineries is a delightful excursion when visiting the Dalonega, Georgia area. Be sure to take in the views along windy mountain roads as you approach the area. The tasting room was very clean and neat, but be prepared for the two very large dogs who hang out there.
Don’t hesitate to ask for an extra stool or two unless you want to stand while you sample their varieties of wine. They were generous to get the stools we needed.
The wine hostess poured each sample while giving a generous amount of information as she poured. My favorite was a chilled white sangria made from peaches and cherries.
Even though the wine list gives the cost as $ 10 for 4 samples and a logo wine glass, we declined to take the promotional wine glasses. They only charged $ 5 for the sampling alone.

Very cool, laid back feel without the pretentiousness of some nearby wineries.
Yeah, it’s a bumpy drive in, but what farm have you been to lately with a nicely paved drive-​way? The overall feel is country/​redneck, but don’t let the atmosphere fool you. The wines aren’t of the French nor Eyetalian varieties per se, but think local, country takes on old classics.
After speaking with the owner, and spending time with the dog, I can speak for the overall family, farm driven atmosphere that seems to be their motif. No one is getting married here, and there isn’t a gift-​shop with basil-​scented what-​nots dipped in olive oil. Forget that nonsense, and let the wine do the talking. Cool music, cool people with wine that’s pretty tasty and you’ll be right at home.
Quick note. If you are looking for views, cheese, and pretentious, then keep driving.

Went for tasting, $ 10 including glasses is fine but pours were inconsistent sometimes not enough to taste and giving you old used wine glasses to take home, a first for us. Wines are very good, service needs work.

We needed another vineyard to visit in North GA and I saw the great reviews for Cavender on Unilocal.SO glad we made the stop. This adorable vineyard had the best wine we had had all day. The tasting pours were a little small, but to make up for it we ordered pitchers of Sangria and cheese plates! Really great time, and will be on my wine stop list on every North GA trip moving forward!

This winery is a bit smaller than the usual ones. The tastings are quite smaller too. The staff was very nice and knowledgeable regarding their wines. You can choose any 4 tastings for $ 5.00 or taste all the flavors of wines for $ 10.00. The tastings were literally about 2 small sips. I was a bit disappointed. The wines did taste good though! My favorite was the Georgia Peach which really tasted like peaches! It was very sweet.
We met the «work dog», Tinkerbell, who chases away the bears, deer, and other animals from the vineyards at night. Such a cute and friendly dog! They had tables inside or you can enjoy your wine on the patio facing the fields. They had three donkey you could see from the patio! They also sell wine by the glass or bottle and cheese and meats to snack on. It was an interesting experience!

We accidentally made a wrong turn (and by we, I mean me), and initially approached Cavander Creek from the road that runs behind the winery and tasting room. This area looks like something out of the movie Deliverance, and to be honest, we almost turned around to head to our next destination instead. However, I’m so glad we didn’t.
Cavender Creek’s tasting room is a small building tucked behind a historic log cabin, overlooking some rolling hills covered in grape vines. The whole vineyard is small and homey, and we were greeted by an adorable puppy on the front porch. We arrived at the tasting room just as they had opened, and there were only four other people there, which meant the server was able to provide great personalized attention to each of us (including taking the required I-can’t-wait-to-instagram-us-holding-wine-glasses-in-a-vineyard group pic). We appreciated the little touches — the purse hooks at the bar, the complimentary oyster crackers, the water pitchers every few feet. Their tasting is quite a value as well, just $ 5 for four pours of any wines off of their list. Most of their wines are sweeter (lots of great potential sangria bases in this group), and they use all Georgia grown grapes and muscadines.
This small, serene setting is a welcome respite from other, more corporate spots that now dot this area. I look forward to returning to this one, and I’m glad we didn’t judge this book by its (back) cover.

This place is charming but you walk into the tasting room greeted by the smell of a wet dog. We tried as fast as we could to try our samples and get to the back porch away from the smell.
They have a lot of muscadine wines, which are very classic Georgia, so if you don’t like sweeter wines, you might struggle finding some you like. They have a chilled red wine we settled on and drank on the porch. *note the porch doesn’t face the vineyards.
The music was nice on a Saturday afternoon and this place would have been much better without with overpowering dog smell.

Cavender Creek can be a nice relaxing change from the other wineries in the area. Here you’ll get a laid back experience in a more rustic environment. Their tasting room is small, but you’ll find room to sit and relax with friends while listening to live music. The staff is friendly and attentive, happy to assist you with a tasting or a glass.
As for the wine, its average. You’ll find a sweeter style here with the use of lots of muscadine grapes from Georgia. Personal favorite of the sweeter wines (and actually all of their wines) was the Blackberry. If you are into dryer wines, there are about 5 choices for you, with the cab sav being the best out of them. Their 2 whites were oak, but you don’t find anything done in oak to give you that buttery taste if you like that.
A good stop on a wine tour of the N. Georgia Mountains due to their service and style, but don’t expect it to be the best wine you’ll have in the area (if you are a wine buff).

This is a must stop on your wine tour. One of the friendliest stops on the trail. I do not like sweet wines… but tried them all. Fantastic!!! Rustic interior, family ran, very personable experience. No brainer. Stop by hang out with the group and go through a tasting. You will mot be disappointed!!!

I love this place! As we approached the porch, everyone encourages us to come on in and have a glass of wine. They all seemed happy and so relaxed. Tinker Bell made sure we found our way inside and came to check on us frequently. The folks on the porch were actually the owners. They were having one of the best laughs and reminiscing about something. But, one came in to ask if we needed help and explained the different wines to us. We bought several bottles and always go back for the wine and for Tinker Bell. There is no pressure and the ambiance is so refreshing, you really just want to sit on the porch and rock away with a glass of wine and some good company.

This is the first Georgia winery I’ve visited, and it doesn’t disappoint.
Very laid-​back atmosphere in a nice tasting room. I can’t yet vouch for how this compares to other wineries in the region in terms of quality, but I did sample 9 different wines for $ 9, and all of them were solid. I know Georgia’s wineries are relatively new, so the vines aren’t as «mature» as they probably should be (right? I’m not a wine expert, but I’ve heard this), so I think we’re seeing the beginning of something good that should only get better.
From this experience at Cavender Creek, I plan to come back here and do more exploring in the area for wineries, including coming back to this one.

This is my favorite winery in Georgia, thus far. Granted I’ve only been here and Château Élan, but that’s beside the point.
The staff and owners at Cavender Creek, and the bounty of wine you get at a tasting, is the reason anyone in (or visiting) Georgia should stop by for a tour and a tasting.
Cavender Creek is run by two retired school teachers, and the funniest wine steward I’ve ever met. This place is not pretentious one bit. So for anyone who may think wine tasting is only for and by wine snobs, visit Cavender Creek to have your mind permanently changed.
The only downside is there is not any food for purchase currently at Cavender Creek, which is a shame because they have the perfect patio to capitalize on. So be sure to hit up the square before or after you visit, for a meal.
Oh and with 11 wine tastes for $ 10, be sure you have a designated driver. They are not light on the pours at all, and no one likes a drink driver.

Cavender Creek is a little different than most the wineries in the mountains. It is a mom and pop winery, where Raymond and Donna are self-​taught, retired school teachers who decided they wanted to own a vineyard when they retired. This is still a relatively young winery, but they learned well and make a quality set of wines.
Raymond and Donna are a sweet, friendly couple and their tasting room reflects simplicity and comfort. Their donkey’s roam the surroundings and TinkerBell, their dog stays under the porch mostly, waiting for a snack. An ideal location to try some fresh wines.
Their Norton Reserve is by far my favorite wine here. It has complexity and less of the up front Norton bite that is common with this grape. Their other wines are good though they tend to the sweet side to satisfy the local clientele. Wine tastings are free, which is unique around here and their wine prices are lower than any of the surrounding wineries.
This is a must stop on your wine experience. While their wines aren’t as complex as say Wolf or Frogtown, the atmosphere of the vineyard and the pride Raymond and Donna take in their work and growing experience is evident and makes this a great visit.