Washington Wines No Longer under California's Shadow In early June we found ourselves in the perfectly sunny, perfectly temperate, and perfectly beautiful Seattle and environs. That's right. Not even a hint of rain threatened our weeklong visit to Washington State. We were there to visit family but the vines were calling our names and we truly couldn't resist. Although we would have happily spent days exploring Washington vineyards and wineries we were only able to devote one day. We concentrated on the Woodinville area – about 30 minutes east of the city of Seattle, and slightly north of Microsoft's vast holdings. Read on to hear of our exploits and findings!

Wine Events Galore Our involvement within the Atlanta wine culture is rather diverse, however the common thread running through everything we do is Appreciation & Education with wine. We have a full calendar of events beginning in August and running through October. From structured tastings, deep knowledge attainment sessions, fun with food & wine, to field trips--we have something for everyone.

June/July Raffle Ending--HURRY! We are closing out the June/July Drawing by midnight, August 3. But your chances to win the Gerard Puvis print, care of Artistic Designs, have just improved. Don't forget to enter the drawing for yourself! Enter it Here

Tips, Tricks & Trivia FREE Wine Glossary Daunted by all of the tasting jargon? Download and print this simple Wine Terms Glossary. Try these wines Check out some of the wines we tasted in the last 2 months, complete with prices here. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these free documents--download it FREE here. Shipping Wine To/Within Georgia Here is the skinny on what IS and IS NOT allowed in the purchase of wine, according to an article by Wine Spectator 7/25/03, referring to the state of GA: If a winery is not working with a distributor in our fair state, and they have paid the $50 license fee, you can order their wines directly from them. However each of these wineries is limited to 50 cases a year in our state, as well as 5 cases to any one consumer. Shipments of up to five cases permitted if consumer orders on the premises of any in-state or out-of-state winery, even if it has a Georgia distributor. (No other in-state shipments allowed.) Felony penalties for violations. Personal transportation allowed of up to 0.5 gallon. First Marilyn Merlot, now Sinatra Meritage? The family of Frank Sinatra is launching a Meritage in tribute to "old blue eyes." The winemakers played his songs as the wine was made. Those Crazy French The hailstorm that decimated 2/3 of some growers crops this last Spring was evidently not forecasted as part of the weather service's warnings, not that the weather service is ever right about the weather. But that won't stop the French grape growers from suing the Weather Forecasting Company, Meteo France, for failing to provide a weather warning.

Wine & Health Louis Pasteur said, 'Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages,' and Plato remarked, 'No thing more excellent nor more valuable than wine was ever granted mankind by God.' Of course, what was left out in these divine quotes was the phrase "in moderation." In the US, our government defines moderation as one 5-oz glass of wine per day for women, and two 5-oz glasses of wine per day for men. Other countries are more liberal on this guideline. As with any studies on health, it is necessary to do your homework, since proof can lag way behind ostentatious claims. In the case of wine however, we are now seeing the results of multi-year studies on the effects of wine consumption and the results are exciting. It has been proven moderate wine consumption can reduce the chance of Coronary Heart Disease by 30%. There is considerable discussion about the effects of the alcohol versus other compounds such as phenols, resveratrol, or flavonoids, so it is still unclear who really gets the full credit. There are many claims, all of which cast wine as sort of an old wonder drug re-emerged. In future issues, we'll get under the covers on wine and its effect on cancer, ulcers, strokes, and even hangovers--which by the way are due mainly to impurities in the beverage more than the alcohol. Finally, we'll get to see which wines are the "healthiest", according to a group in the Northeast doing some 3rd party testing. So until then, continue to enjoy a beverage that heals the heart, mind and soothes the savage beast.

You have been sent this publication because your email address was listed as a wine enthusiast desiring more information and updates.