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Approx.
350 guests were treated to a cultural tribute to France,
her wines, cognacs, champagnes, foods, art & entertainment
on Saturday, July 22nd. The event benefitted Angel Flight
of Georgia, a unique GA-based non-profit which believes
that the cost of travel should never stand in the way
of receiving medical care. Special thanks goes out to
sponsors Brown-Forman, Plaza Midtown, Ice Caters, Paris
on Ponce, the new Atlantan Magazine, and Park Tavern
for transforming their facility into the Moulin Rouge.
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View
pictures of the
event & attendees here. |
The
nearly 100 wines & cognacs competed for attention
with the lovely can-can dancers, as well as the Toulouse
Lautrec impersonator, all provided by Bacchus
Productions.
In
other news, Atlanta Wine School has formalized an agreement
to provide all volunteer staff, and expert instruction
for 8 tantalizing wine seminars at the upcoming Taste
of Atlanta 2006, held October 14-15th at Atlantic Station.
We'll hand-feed you developments on this gala taste-a-thon
as we get them.
Michael
Bryan
Editor
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Great
Wine Program...
Incredible Food |
When
one arrives back in the states from Europe, the whole
style of eating changes. But it won't in Atlanta anymore.
Dining at Ecco only a few weeks after its opening in
June, the staff made us feel like we were neighborhood
chums. The extensive wine list is reasonably priced,
includes many "by the glass" selections, and
is well thought out to feature exclusive wines not available
elsewhere. The food menu is flexible, allowing "tastes"
to full-fledged entrees. We built our own anti-pasta
platter and combined it with the grilled squid, striped
bass escabeche, and a fried duck egg. The biggest culinary
surprise was the fried squash blossoms & fleur de
sel--simply delicious. This is the place where you arrive
and as you can't decide on entrees, you tell the waiter
"we're going to just order 'tastes' while we look
at the menu." And he knods knowlingly, because
he will be bringing out one taste after another as you
never make up your mind!
Ecco Website |
| Atlanta
Wine School Event Calendar |
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The
Schedule / Location for the next series will be out
in the next week. Please email
us if you would like to be on the wait-list. |
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Wednesday,
August 2nd, 7pm ~ 2 seats
remain
Michael Gallant is a guy who likes older wines--opening
them, talking about them, and sharing them. We all blab-blab
about one tasting after another in this city, but show
me the OLD stuff -- the wines held back, often referred
to as "library wines" or appropriately "reserve
wines." Join us to taste at least 12 yummy wines
with some cheeses & salumis thrown in for decoration.
More Info |
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Wednesday,
August 9th, 7pm
Learning about wine & food pairings is much more fun
when you are tasting them! Join us for a fun, social,
taste exploration with six dishes and eight wines. You
won't go home confused about this subject (or hungry).
More
Info |
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Thursday,
August 17th, 7pm
Come on down to Java Vino's new upstair's space in the
Highlands where we'll pair eight artisanal cheeses with
eight special wines. More
Info |
| Caught
in the Act |
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Over
2,000 winos participated in the Carneros
1/2 Run from Napa to Sonoma on July 16th.
Among them was AWS student Ivy Kusler (right) and friends
Karin Brown (center) and Darcy Paulson, all from Atlanta.
Says Ivy, "We drank exorbitant quanities of wine
the night before but it didn't slow us down!" |
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Who
are the ATL guys? David Weiss & Joseph Miller, that's
who! They recently took up our Napa/Sonoma Travel Consultant,
Sharon Henson, for a custom itinerary to the area. Check
out photos from the trip here;
additionally they have pics from the hot air ballon ride
over Northern Napa Valley here.
If you are traveling to the area, you cannot go wrong
with Sharon's
personal touch. |
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And
as a follow-up to AWS student Joel Wine's trip to Santa
Barbara last month, here is a winemaker convincing a tourist
that Petit Syrah and Syrah are two different grapes. We'd
say she appears convinced. |
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So
what does one get during a lecture at the Society of Wine
Educator's Conference? How about Jennifer Rosen, aka Corkjester.
Jennifer is a talented writer, certified sommelier, and
has the guts to do a session on Wine & Sex. No yawns
during this session, and even the wines were fantastic.
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The
Dump Bucket
- No
Wine but Tasty FAMILY Fun
Mark your calendars for Share Our Strength’s premiere Taste
of the Nation for Kids, an exciting event that is quickly
becoming the premiere family party in metro Atlanta. The
festive day will feature delicious food samples from Atlanta’s
best family-friendly restaurants, hilarious and informative
entertainment and highly interactive nutritional education
- all assured to bring a happy smile to your child's face.
All proceeds support Share Our Strength's fight to end childhood
hunger in Georgiaour community and around the country. Saturday,
August 19th, 10am - 2pm at the 1420 Room, 1420 Dunwoody
Village Parkway, Atl, 30338. Tix $10 adults; $5 children
12 & under. Tix
& Info
- Good
Newsletter for Pinot Freaks
Saw Patty out in Oregon last month pitching her hand-held
cellar/tasting note management software. On the side she
produces a complimentary monthly issue devoted exclusively
to Pinot Noir. Great information along with tasting notes.
Her July
Issue
- Wine's
Recent Ancient History
American
ex-patriot Steve de Long, living & drinking in England,
always charms readers with pithy looks at our world of wine.
His recent article depicts the wine world pre-Wine Spectator
and pre-Robert Parker. Full
Article
- Swede
Britt Karlsson is Our Winner for MOST Wine Photos
Britt travels the world of wine and snaps pictures along
the way. Categorized by wine region, we are not aware of
a larger collection available for viewing on the public
domain. Website
- If
you are allergic to eggs, how can wine make you sick?
Because egg whites (albumin) are often used as a clarifying
agent, particularly if the goal is to "soften"
big reds. Federal regulators, under pressure from winemakers
and others in CA, are taking steps to provide allergen warning
labels on wine bottles. More
- Pink
Wines Compared to Strippers? Anything Goes at the Pink-Out!
Rosé Tasting
Pink equals sweet. Or at least that's what a large
percentage of consumers think when they see a glass of rosé
wine with an illustrious pink hue being poured into fine
stem glassware. More
- Wine
Buying Guide Smoke & Mirrors
W.R. Tish usually cracks me up -- I mean this is
a guy who wears glasses made out of dinner forks. But what
sets him apart is his penchant for marching to his own wine
drum; in this case, he puts forth a very thorough analysis
of "wine buying guides." Says Tish, "buying
guides have turned into bloated marketing vehicles that
waste glossy paper while providing dubious utility."
No waffling on opinions there. View
his Assessment of Buying Guides
- From
Gore to Others, Global Warming is a HOT Topic
Will Germany be known for Cabernet Sauvignon in
20 years? Global warming could wither many premium vineyards
in California and across the nation by the end of the century,
according to a new computerized climate projection released
recently. Story link contribruted by Jim Morris.
Full
Article
- Macro
Terroir by Dan Berger
What
is terroir? Is it proven or just a world-accepted conceptual
way of attempting to describe the differences attributed
to two wines from vineyards across the street from each
other? Wine writer Dan Berger takes a swing at the subject.
Full
Article
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