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I
begin today's column with sadness. Almost two weeks
ago, one of Atlanta's most unselfish wine evangelists,
Richard Czerwinski, passed away. Richard brought many
first-timers to wine, built a sizeable tasting club
called "Friends of the Vine," and attracted
hundreds to his annual Zinfest. A Memorial is being
held for him on Saturday, June 17, 2006 from 2-4:00pm
at Great
Oaks, located in Roswell.
On
a positive note, Atlanta Wine School welcomes Kelly
Wheeler to our instructor ranks. Kelly recently retired
after having sold his company, so now has plenty of
time to share the fruits of 30 years of tasting &
touring wine regions. He has attained the Certified
Specialst of Wine credential showing that his knowledge
is equal to his passion, and he is at home in the kitchen
as well, having studied under some of Atlanta's top
chefs and even being featured in the AJC.
Lastly,
don't forget dad's on June 18th (see gift certificates
below) and...
Our biggest event ever attempted (a Benefit
for Angel Flight of GA) is a tribute to
the flavors, art & music of France ~ Discover
France will be on July 22nd. It's dressy casual
and will be unlike anything Atlanta has ever offered
within the area of wine & food festivals.
Enjoy
the weather, and remember "pink" wines are
only scary if they are sweet. :)
Michael
Bryan
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Whadya
Gonna Get the 'ol Man?
In
this materialistic & disposable age, give an experience
~ something never to be forgotten.
Available in $50 increments, tailor it for "him"
to have:
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4,300
wineries, 30,000 samples. This is the world's largest
wine fair, albeit it is 90% Italian wines. Tasting from
dusk till dawn, wine-laden lunches, multi-course dinners
-- it's rough work but somebody had to do it! Go
to Pictures (may take some time to load!) |
| Event
Calendar |
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Sunday,
June 11th, 3pm - 8pm
Complimentary tasting to celebrate the Grand Opening of
one of Atlanta's newest jewelry stores. Wines provided
by WineStyles. No RSVP necessary. For Connect With Wine
subscribers (and friends) exclusively. More
Info |
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Monday,
June 12th, 7pm - 9pm
Use the duldrums of Summer to firm up your relationship
with wine. With binder of lectures, tasting guide, maps,
enthusiastic subject-matter-expert instructors, and
10 wines per class, this is THE first start with appreciating
wine! More Info
- Available
in 6 or 12 week courses
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Saturday,
July 22nd, 7pm - 11pm
Under La Grande Tente at Park Tavern, overlooking Piedmont
Park ~ 100+ French wines, Champagne bar, Cognac-sipping
room, imported artisanal cheeses, heavy hors d'oeuvres,
art, musique, & more. The event beneficiary is Angel
Flight of Georgia. More
Info |
The
Dump Bucket
- COPIA
Conducts 30th Anniversary Tasting of Paris Judgement
The May 24, 1976 tasting known as the Judgment of Paris
is considered a milestone in the American wine industry
because it shattered the perception that the New World was
capable only of producing cheap bulk wines. Each decade
scores of groups (particularly in CA) re-run the challenge
to see how the two countries fair against each other. The
Results Are In Also, wine writer Jancis Robinson
covers the story, along with the ability to download the
scores from this recently re-run tasting. Jancis'
Site
- PT
Position with Unique Catering Company
Very unique catering company looking for person with flexible
schedule
Mon-Sat. Please visit their website at Mochamyday.com
to see what we they're all about and if what they do is
what you are all about, please call Todd at 770-363-6492.
- Build
Your Own Wine Catalogue online FREE
Subscriber
Tiffany Brown alerted us to another tool "CORK'D"
which allows members to keep track of those bottles tasted
(or still untasted) in an online wine cellar. There is a
great sense of community with the ability to add drinking
buddies so everyone (in your circle) knows what each is
drinking. Great for tasting clubs, etc. More
- DeLong
Wine Moments
Steve De Long, creator of the very useful Wine Grape Varietal
Table, as well as the wine-ego driven Century Club, also
is pushing out interesting articles, ever since December
2005. Visit the archives to learn about "Your Brain
on Wine" and other interesting stories from this American
ex-pat living in London. More
- International
Eastern Wine Competion
The 30th Annual International Eastern Wine Competition (IEWC)
and Riesling Championship, sponsored by Vineyard & Winery
Management magazine, has publicly named the five Best of
Category wines of the competition as well as the winner
and four finalists of the Riesling Championship. Established
in 1977, the event is one of the oldest and largest wine
competitions in the U.S., receiving nearly 2,100 entries
from 12 countries, 35 states and two Canadian provinces.
More
- Bacchus
Fine Wines' Tasting on June 16th
This wine tasting will be held at The Wine Store
in Alpharetta. 6:30 PM reception and 7:00 PM seated tasting.
$20.00 per person in advance
Please RSVP, with number of guests, Fee converts to wine
purchase. There are no on-line facilities for reservations;
so phone 770-641-1900
- The
Value of Drinking...by Jack Handy
"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the
wine I drink I feel shame.
Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in
the vineyards and alloftheir hopes and dreams. If I didn't
drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams
would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better
that Idrink this wine and let their dreams come true than
be selfish and worry about my liver."
- How
Do You Feel About Screwcaps?
New Zealand wine writer Paul Tudor is counting
on you to make your thoughts known via a survey, as this
data will be used to write his dissertation, which if accepted,
will seal the deal on his attainment of MW-Master of Wine,
the highest wine education credential obtainable. So take
a few minutes and help a guy out! Survey
- Another
Study Supports Moderate Consumption...but only..
for men! What!? New research suggests that drinking
alcoholic beverages daily may significantly reduce the risk
of heart disease for men; but women, well it seemingly doesn't
apply to them. Hmm. More
- Tasting
Room Survey: Charging for a Taste on the Rise
This year's survey revealed that roughly half of
respondents now charge for tasting, with average fees falling
between $3-6. While it is generally expected that wineries
should charge more for reserve tastings or when serving
food, West Coast wineries top the chart with many charging
$10 for a "bare bones" tasting. In addition, about
43 percent of tasting rooms reported that they apply tasting
fees to a customer's purchase.
More
- Wines
Selling for $15+ Fastest Growing Category
Wine industry experts point to consolidation trends that
are shaping consumer buying. One expert says the U.S. wine
market is a growth area because wine has become the most
preferred alcoholic beverage, and consumption is expected
to surpass that of France and Italy by 2010. More
- Japanese
Comic Strip Features Unlikely Hero
Swashbuckling
wine steward? Between wine tastings he solves complicated
crimes and always gets the pretty girl, all in a Zen sort
of way. More
- Whitehall
Lane First in Country to Use Vino-Seal Closure
Among
its many eccentricities, the wine industry tolerates an
astonishing rate of product failure. Depending on the source
-- cork manufacturers claim lower figures, wine professionals
put them higher -- between 1 percent and 15 percent or so
of bottled wine has a musty aroma and flavor because of
compound impurities carried by natural corks. The Austrians
have been using the Vino-Seal closure for the last year,
and the closure has been popular with airliners since the
corkscrew is not required. More
on Vino-Seal
- Mr.
Two-Buck Chuck, Fred Franzia
Deemed the "Scourge of Napa Valley," Fred Franzia
says the world would be better off without all that expensive
Napa Valley wine. And that's not just an opinion--it's a
business plan. More
on Big Fred
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Caught in the Act! Check out the following photos:
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| May
22nd ~Graduates of the April 24th Introduction to Wine
Course, held at the Piedmont Room, Midtown. |
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| May
21st ~ Reason #9 why the Coastal Wine Tour (this season
in Orange Beach, AL) rocks. This pic taken at the walk-along
brunch with friends Karen & Dan Haigney of NC. |
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| May
17th ~ The rain clouds tease in the distance, but nothing
could keep out the delicious wines for this Morgan Stanley
private tasting. |
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| June
1st ~ Atlanta Wine School student Miki and husband Masa
(both seated left) arrive home safely to Yokohama (outside
Tokyo). Hey I don't see any saké in this picture!
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| May
5th ~ Wine and Furniture?! Oh yes, merchants everywhere
are discovering that wine tastings draw in the caliber
of customer they want to see more of, as seen here during
the new Destination Home's wine social. |
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| May
21st ~ "Ahh mom, crabcakes again!" Another shot
from the Walk-Around Brunch, held on Sundays as part of
the Coastal
Wine Tour. |
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