The November 2006 Issue of Connect With Wine

Tomorrow the Atlanta Wine Club is 8 weeks old, not even at first trimester a "wine OB" would say. Yet, rather than cautiously waiting for that safe 12-week mark to share the news, we're excited at the number of people who have joined. More than a "wine club", the group is truly about the pursuit of good living.

The Atlanta Wine School remains the number one choice for LEARNING about wine, even if in a more structured, disciplined way. If there is an exciting topic with a corresponding lesson, we will create a course around it.

The Atlanta Wine Club is all about people getting together around common hedonistic interests. Whereas LEARNING is a constant undercurrent with the school, LIVING, LOVING & LAUGHING are just a few of the undercurrents at the Atlanta Wine Club.

It is no coincidence that the same structural make-up that spawns a wine lover is often a person who appreciates the beauty of nature, distant cultures, and the world's cuisines. And these people enjoy getting together for the sake of sharing, having fun and tasting (or drinking)!

In September, a few early adopters jumped on board when we offered a 50% discount to the club. Those days of deep "charter" discounts are over, but the incentives to join are not. In the spirit of the Holidays, get a membership for yourself or for someone else. Until December 15th, you can use the promotion codes below for a 25% discount on the Connoisseur Club level.

Here is a restatement of the program, and the codes:

WineFriends	Individual $25 annually	Couples $40 annually	No Discounts
Connoisseur Club	Individual $100 annually	Couples $150 annually	AWS1-Individual or AWS2-Couples 25%
Bacchus Society	Individual $500 annually	Couples $750 annually	No Discounts

Visit the website >>> http://www.ATLwineclub.com

In only 8 weeks, members have received FREE tickets to Taste of Atlanta, Wine & Dine, and The Taste--all just in October. Using their discount privileges at Atlanta Wine School, members have saved $125 on a six-week course and $210 on a twelve-week course. Finally, members have done wine tastings, dinners, and winery tours together...again, in only 8 weeks.

As I write I am sitting in the guest house at Simi Winery in Sonoma. But my visitation is strickly business as I am scouting out "custom-made" experiences (not for sale to the public) that we will offer our Atlanta Wine Club members.
(left) Cabernet in the Los Amigos Vineyard awakens at 6:25am; (right) Simi's winemaker Steve Reeder and I discuss his winemaking philosophy "hands-off winemaking with benign neglect."

Hope your Thanksgiving week is filled with good times, good friends, and good food.

Michael Bryan
Director, Atlanta Wine School
Co-Founder, Atlanta Wine Club

Atlanta Wine School & Atlanta Wine Club Event Calendar

Wines & Cheeses
Monday, December 4th
The Piedmont Room, Midtown
Artisanal cheeses are no less labors of love than their wine counterparts. Location of pasteurland, seasonality of milks, and aging all weigh heavily on the final taste experience. Join us for 8 pairings of wine & cheese. Like all classes...learning via tasty entertainment! More Info

First Annual Holiday Party!
Wednesday, December 13th
Artspace International Artist Community
The AWC’s First Annual Holiday Party will be held at Art Space International, a 22,000-square foot Artist Community, which is located in the avant-garde Midtown-West district of Atlanta. The party will be hosted by Frederic Payet, founder of Art Space International; Michael Bryan, founder of the Atlanta Wine School and Steve Saenz, Co-founder of the Atlanta Wine Club. More Info

World of Reds ~ Special Holiday Edition
Monday, December 18th
Sugo Restaurant, Duluth
Join us for a line-up of 10 reds from 10 places on the globe. From silky, elegant pinot noirs to opulent, decadent cabernet sauvignon, we'll travel the world's red-wine producing regions.

Delicious cheeses and salumi's will accompany the wine. More Info

Introduction to Wine, Parts I or II
Wednesday, January 3rd (3 seats left)
Monday, January 8th (14 seats left)
Piedmont Room, Midtown
This course is the beginning of your relationship with wine--it will move you from viewing it as a "social beverage" to one of a liquid encyclopedia. In addiiton to engaging teachers, you'll be tasting at least 8 wines in every class.
Look how happy this guy is...he found wine. More Info

American Wines ~ YEE-HAW!
Sunday, January 14th
Piedmont Room, Midtown
Sure, you've had a California wine, and even perhaps a Washington, and Oregon wine. OK, just 47 more states to go! We have at least one winery in every state. Join us as we explore the best wines made in the US of A. Many of these have been medal-winners at national competitions. More Info

Wine & Chocolate
Thursday, January 18th
Piedmont Room, Midtown
Join our special guest, Chef Lydia of Bon Bons Confectionery, as she and Michael Bryan lead participants through nine "rich" pairings of wines and chocolates. Truly decadent! More Info

The Dump Bucket

(Sorry I've run out of time, but we'll include a full dump bucket next month!)