Time for Wine

The Atlanta area has some great wine events this month. Whether you want to learn more, eat a perfectly paired meal or just try new kinds of wine, we have it all covered.


Share your dinner with eight "Pinots from Burgundy" at Woodfire Grill's first wine tasting of 2009 on Wednesday, January 21. During regular dinner hours (6 - 10 p.m.), guests can sample eight Pinots from different communes and vintages, poured blind, for $15. Nothing to hide with a blind pour, it happens to be the best way to learn how to assess body, flavor and aroma. Sample wines at your own pace, at your table or at the bar. Reservations recommended.


There's a plethora of wines out there from Australia and New Zealand or so it seems to us in the southern part of the Northern Hemisphere. Mates, we're hopping to Toulouse Bistro at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 25 to sample a variety of wines from Down Under and to find out what the Toulouse Wine Guy has to say. The price of $30 per person is a pittance, considering we'll taste 15 wines and freshen our palates with light bites in between. Toulouse Bistro: 2293 Peachtree Road, NE; 404-351-9533.


Reap the benefits of a bountiful winter harvest, wine included, by dining at Aqua blue's Winter Harvest Wine Dinner on Wednesday, January 28 at 6:30 p.m. The night's line-up of four courses with wine pairings is only $45 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Start with the sun-kissed, tropical flavors of maki served with mango, kiwi and Mandarin oranges; ease into Muscovy duck breast served with pan-seared winter greens and sweet roasted pecans followed by a hearty beef roulade stuffed with sun- dried tomatoes. Dessert melds together antioxidant rich plums and dark chocolate in a plum and decadence bombe served with a dark chocolate mousse. Specially selected wines include Adami Prosecco, Colberldo, Italia NV; Bouchaine, Pinot Noir, Carneros 2006; Edge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2006; and Michael David's Zinfandel, 7 Deadly Zins, Lodi 2006. Reservations required. Aqua blue: 1564 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell; 770-643-8886.