Have you ever been invited to someone’s home and were asked to bring a bottle of wine and had no idea where to start? Or maybe you’re just learning about wine and wonder where do other enthusiasts and connoisseurs like to go? Here’s a top 12 list to use as a guide (12 inside and 12 outside the perimeter). You’ll notice that with the exception of Whole Foods, the big chain supermarkets like Publix, Kroger, or Walmart are not mentioned. The reason for that is they usually tend to stock commercial brands that are mass produced, which in itself is not a terrible thing. But for better quality optio ..read more

Some of you may be wondering, “So what’s with the dog…being on a travel/wine blog site and all?” Well, here’s the deal. Little Zoé, first of all, is no ordinary dog. In fact, people who meet her often joke that it’s just a matter of time before she starts talking! The thing is, Zoé is one of those doggies who likes being in the center of everything. She is a true socialite (with humans) and loves meeting and greeting people during her travels and at various social events. It started back in the fall of 2010 when I first got Zoé at 8 weeks old. I used to take her everywhere I’d go- The Apple ..read more

One of my go-to experiences when I’m in Paris is taking a short train ride to the Champagne region. I get up early and take the métro to the Gare de l’Est, grab a coffee and a croissant, and wait until it’s time to board the train heading to either Reims or Épernay. Upon arrival to my destination, I like to take some time to walk around and visit the cathedrals and gardens before making my way to one of the maisons de Champagne (Champagne houses). Champagne is my favorite wine, actually my favorite beverage, and to have a tasting at the place where it comes from…c’est magnifique ..read more

Grandes Marques de Champagne (or the great brands of Champagne) refers to the internationally known Champagne brands like Moet, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Bollinger, etc. Compared to the small producers, these big companies have a global presence and produce much larger volume of Champagne to fill the shelves that we see at our local wine retailers. The Grandes Marques will usually have a marketing department, sales teams, and if you go to the Champagne region, they’ll actually have staff to lead tours in different languages. But besides that, did you know that each brand has their own story and si ..read more

I first met Tatiana on Zoom while taking an online French class at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Like many other places, because of the pandemic, the department at the Sorbonne which offers French as a foreign language began offering classes virtually. This was perfect for people like me and also Tatiana who’ve always wanted to take classes at the Sorbonne, but could not attend in person because we live outside of Paris. Tatiana who’s originally from Brazil now lives in Reims with her French husband and their two daughters. After I had booked my trip to Paris, I mentioned to Tatianna tha ..read more

Bill Reynolds, resident French Wine Scholar and sommelier of Vino Venue wine bar, welcomed the Friends of Alliance Française for an afternoon of French wine tasting…on tap! Using the enomatic, self-serve dispensing machines, we explored several of France’s most popular wine regions- Bourgogne (Burgundy), Bordeaux, Sancerre, and Côtes du Rhône (Rhone Valley). Besides being able to try the different wines, we also explored what each region is famous for. In the U.S., we are familiar with wines by the grape- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, etc. In Fr ..read more

One of my favorite events of the year, La Fête Beaujolais Noveau in Atlanta is part of a worldwide festival that takes place throughout various cities the third week of November. This celebration which is organized by the FACC- Atlanta (French American Chamber of Commerce) remains the largest event in the Southeastern United States dedicated to the tasting of the new harvest of Beaujolais Nouveau wine. The wine originated about a century ago as a cheap and cheerful drink produced by locals in France to celebrate the end of their harvest season. Beauj ..read more

I’m not sure why, but for some reason whenever I would hear the word Vermouth, all this time I was thinking that this was a spirit. It wasn’t until the annual Decatur Wine Festival  where I learned that Vermouth was in fact a wine.  It has been around for centuries and traditionally was used for medicinal purposes.  Later, particularly in the cafés of northern (Turin) Italy, it was served as a before dinner apéritif . By the late 19th century, Vermouth became familiar to bartenders all over as an ingredient for iconic cocktails such as the M ..read more

One of the best public wine festivals in the Metro Atlanta area! No long lines, ample free parking, and a wide variety of good wine selections all set in charming historic Roswell. This festival takes place every year during the month of October. But being the popular event that it is, tickets are usually sold out by Labor Day. The Roswell Wine Festival was started by two friends who shared a passion for wine and who also both happened to love the Roswell area. In 2012 the two decided to create the very first festival that would serve wine enthusiasts, the business community ..read more

Cellar 13 is a hidden gem tucked away in a small shopping center in Buckhead, Atlanta. The owner John has a beautiful collection of unique handpicked wines mainly from small production vineyards in Europe as well as in South America and the US. Another thing that is special about this shop is that John has personally tasted every bottle that is on the shelf and so it’s nice that he can give first hand impressions about all of the wines. It was here that I attended the wines of Alain Brumont tasting presented by Vincent Thébaud, export director of  Brumont wines. These are wines from a ..read more