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Happy (day after) Mother's Day!
Here is a heart-warming article I received yesterday
morning from local writer Doc Lawrence.
Secondly, you may notice the new cosmetic look &
feel to our publication. |
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ConnectWithWine.com
has served us well, but with the ferocious growth of
Atlanta Wine School, we can no longer support two brands
& two websites. We are, however, keeping the name
Connect With Wine to symbolize this publication, which
is the 26th consecutive issue.
This month's article is a photo-journal
of a trip made to Chile on March 19th. As you might
gather, a strip of land 3,000 miles long, 100 miles-wide
sandwiched between the Coastal Mountain Range and
the Andes has some magnificent scenery.
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There is
little of Italy that is not covered in grape
vines; her mountainous spine reaching north
to south is both beautiful and an advantageous
ally with latitude for grape growing perfection.
Arnie takes
us on a wine tour of the country, starting at
the "heel of the boot" and traveling
northward. Check
out the whole story here.
And if you find something
stirring in your soul for Italy, you might check
out our trip to the country in October 2005.
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Chilean wine has long been identified
as "just as good as California but priced less."
Wineries, and Pro-Chilean advocacy groups
are poised to push prices upward on Ultra-Premium
labels. Providing value is one thing; giving it away
is entirely another. View
the photo-journal article here.
Finally, Arnie Millan's article on Viva
Italia is very timely, as we wrapped up Discover Italy
for a record attendance of 350. Feedback has been
very good, with general sentiment that we have "out-grown"
our venue. Some
pictures from Discover Italy, as well as contibuted
shots of Tuscany's countryside from a friend.
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| "Summer
Intensives" |
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Easy on your schedule,
deep on the information, introducing the Summer
Intensives lineup. The only thing intense will
the mouth to glass exercises.
Check out the five new courses listed under our
Courses page, under Novice level. |
| Wine Course
in Auburn, AL |
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| If Auburn is a close
drive for you, we'll be offering a 3-hour course
on Olde World Wines (Italy, France, Spain) next
weekend. More
information here |
| American Institute
of Wine & Food Annual Picnic |
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With 10 participating
restaurants, wines & hand-crafted beers to
sample, the annual picnic is a great time. Held
at the historic Williams-Payne House & Grounds.
Families are encouraged to attend, children 12
and under free.
More information here |
AWS Travel Destinations
>>>> Check
out our Trips!
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Win an exotic Safari trip for two to
South Africa! Simply fill in the necktag entry form
found on your favorite KWV varietal, and mail it in
for a chance to win!
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Monthly Drawing
The "unofficial" winner
of the Introduction to Wine Gift Certificate ($299)
is Alicia Rylander. She has two weeks to respond and
claim her prize.
The May/June drawing is courtesy
of Icecaters.com
who is generously providing
a $125 gift certificate for one of their fabulous
ice creations. Enter
Here
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The Dump Bucket (formerly Tips,
Tricks & Trivia)
- The Fall of the House of Mondavi
Atlanta Wine School student Walt Thompson contributed a
reprint of the March 16th article featured in Business 2.0
Want to really get the scoop on the acquisition of America's
sweetheart winery? Interesting and sad in my view. Download
here (MS Word doc)
- Wines for Sale
Bob Brinks emailed me a couple weeks ago about wanting to
sell a cache of wine. If interested, you can download the
wine list and his contact information here.
(MS Word doc) Disclaimer: I have not seen these wines so
you are own your own.
- Consolidation of Wholesalers in
Atlanta
National Distributing Company, the 4th largest distributor
of alcoholic beverages in the US, purchased Atlanta Wholesale
Wine. The acquisition will deepen their portfolio of fine
wines. More
Here
- Chardonnay Proponents Eat Their
Young
Wall Street Journal wine duo Dotty and John have always
supported the American Chardonnay style, a wine which opponents
say is simply wood-flavored pineapple juice. However, the
continuing predictability of under $20 Chardonnays has them
disavowing their former full-bodied friend. More
Here
- Top 50 Restaurants in the World
British mag "Restaurant Magazine" has chosen the
top 50 restaurants on the globe. List
is Here
- The Sideways Effect
The good-feel movie Sideways has made 2005 the Year of Pinot
Noir. So where does that leave Syrah, the former rock-star
of California's Central Coast? More
Here
- New Low-Alcohol Wine Targets Women
Story link contributed by Jim Morris, a subscriber, about
a lower alcohol wine product. More
Here
- Recipe for Scandal
Well written piece on Len Pickell, the former head of the
James Beard Foundation, who for nine years embezzled what
is suspected close to $1million. Part
I, Part
II
- A Site Worth Checking Out
I stumbled upon quite accidently the Alchohol
Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which is the replacement
for the former BATF. They decided wine & terrorism didn't
belong together after all. You might note that in spite
of wine's health & wellness benefits, with primarily
an over 35 consuming audience with an average house-hold
income of $100k+, it has never been regulated by any of
other department other than the US Treasury. Yes, it all
comes down to taxes.
- US Wine Made Outside the West
Coast
Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but the real story on
American Wine these days is what's happening EAST of the
Sierra Nevadas. US wineries have doubled since 1995, due
primarily to the "other 47 states" making wine.
Before the turn of the century, Missouri was a leading producer.
Prohibition knocked it flat, but since the 60's it has been
building back up. More
- France Honors Mondavi with Legion
d'Honneur Award
The Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in
1802 to honor the highest level of achievement and is France's
highest Presidential honor. More
Here
- Robert Parker Speaks
Parker has released his top scores for the 2004 Bordeaux
vintage, along with the explicit warning, 'Keep the prices
down'. More
Here And his female equivalent, albeit British rather
than American, has also some thoughts on the 2004 Bordeauxs,
specifically the tannin! Her
Thoughts
- Cork May Have a Savior
We've all been waiting for the magic remedy to cure tainted
corks. Even with a failure rate of purportedly 3%, that
is still unacceptable. What if automotive manufacturers
said "The good news is there is only a 3% chance your
axels will break while traveling over 55mph." One
Story from Taiwan News; in another related story, a
biochemist from Burgundy touts a quick-fix kit for tainted
wine. More
Here
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Georgia's "biggest"
is coming up, September 17-18th, 2005 |
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