312 Conasauga Dr. Cleveland, Georgia 30528 (Be sure to enter and follow GPS for this as signs with directions can be missing)
We had attended an earlier Sunset Supper at Limoges, and were delighted to join this feast of fine pairings from Mountain Top Lodge of Dahlonega, Georgia and the fine wines from Limoges. This is a special experience for North Georgia as we are not flush with fine dining options, so this is a wonderful tradition. The landscape and setting of the North Georgia Mountains are inspiring, the cleverly curated decorative floral arrangements by The Poppy are gorgeous, and the food and wine pairing were exquisite.
Each serving is explained by the chef from Mountain Top Lodge and also by Daniel Limoges, the owner of the winery, who explained that all our rain had delayed the upcoming harvest 10-14 days. So interesting to learn how the wine industry must cooperate and work around Mother Nature! Now here are some of our highlights!
The campechana had a great hearty shrimp, and some heat from the spice. It was perfectly paired with the Dry wine Femme Salee (an estate wine), one of Limoges’ many popular white wines. Femme Salee is a Dry favorite of ours just as a standalone Albarino White, and it also drinks like it was made for seafood.
The crab cake was excellent as well, and loaded with crab. So many crab cakes are more filler and breading than crab, and you can’t tell in advance how it will necessarily be prepared or the recipe, but this crab cake was mostly crab, seasoned well not requiring a crystal of salt or flake of pepper, and it was hearty. The wine for this dish was another estate wine, the Cheval, a Vidal Blanc that is also Dry, and ideal for seafood.
Our favorite course was the very plentiful and hearty Family Style Seafood Boil. Large shrimp, spicy sausage, flavorful corn, crab (a delicacy around North Georgia), and soft and tasty potatoes. The seafood boil was a great portion of food and could have been the end of the dinner. The seafood boil was served in a large bowl per couple, so there were plenty to share. The shrimp, like in the other courses, were hearty and healthy and full of flavor, you wanted the juices to soak in to the potatoes and the corn, and the crab was excellent although I wish I knew how to crack crab shells more efficiently and effectively. The wine for this pairing was another favorite, the Emilia, a Sparkling RED! It is a Dry Red that is sparkling, so it is a great option for a lot of different meals than just steak and beef. It is a great wine for celebration, and is great for a meal possibly a little less formal than the kind of meal that calls for a fine Red. We have served the Emilia in our home during the New Year’s Day celebrations.
We recommend highly getting on the Limoges Cellars email list to plan to attend the next Sunset Supper, and other cool events. It does always sell out and tickets and seats are limited, so plan this next great night in advance. One note, we suggest arriving half an hour to an hour early to socialize with other guests so you can get a feel for whom you may want to sit beside unless you come with friends. Please tell Limoges that you read about them on NorthGeorgiaCulture.com.
