Welcome...

Hi - We're the Grape Girls!

We've made it our mission to demystify the wine tasting experience, food pairing and selection process. We'll keep you posted on what's new and hot on the food and wine scene. We want to share our love of food, wine and travel with the world and can't wait for YOU to join us on our adventures.

Grape Crush Productions, Atlanta's premier food and wine event specialists, has been voted one of Atlanta's BEST businesses - every year since 2009 - for bringing the "tasting room" to living rooms, offices and venues across metro Atlanta.

We're the creators and producers of Atlanta Food & Wine Month, Atlanta Winter Wine + Jazz Festival, Buckhead Wine Festival, Chefs in the City , Organic Wine & Food Fair and other hot local events.

Be sure to fan us on Facebook and follow on Twitter for recent event pics, special offers and exclusive event invitations.

Remember, compromises are for relationships, NOT wine! :)

The next sip is yours...

Cheers!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Champagne & Culture in the City













Friday, May 21, 2010
@103 West, 7-10PM
103 West Paces Ferry Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30305


Tour de Champagne features tastes from prestigious Champagne houses combined with samples from Atlanta's finest restaurants and chefs. This year's special silent auction will benefit Angel Flight of Georgia. The evening ends with a fin de soirée (after party) at Bluepointe where VIP guests will continue to mingle and enjoy live music and additional complimentary champagne and cognac. Guests may then head across the street for a nightcap at the St. Regis hotel which is offering special overnight and weekend packages to enhance the total experience.


Did you ever wonder who invented Champagne?

Well, here's a brief history of what some call "culture in a glass":

French monks were the first to bottle a sparkling form of wine called Champagne, named after the Champagne region of France. The method of making "mousse" (another name for bubbles) in a bottle was invented by the efforts of Frère Jean Oudart (1654 - 1742) and Dom Pierre Pérignon (1639 - 1715), Benedictine monks and cellarmasters at the respective abbeys of Saint-Pierre aux Monts de Châlons and Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers.

The region of Champagne has a colder and shorter growing season. Champagne grapes had to be picked late in the year, with less time available for fermentation. During fermentation yeasts are used to convert the sugars of the grape juice into alcohol and cold winter temperatures stopped the process. The monks developed a method of making Champagne wine by using a second fermentation process that took place in the bottle during the following spring. The second fermentation created carbon-dioxide bubbles that are the sparkle of Champagne.



TICKETS: Click here for more information or visit www.tourdechampagne.com.

For updates on local food and wine events follow the Grape Girls on Facebook and Twitter or join the Virtual Grape.

Monday, May 3, 2010

You're Invited: A Spring Wine Tasting & Bites on May 4th!




Join Us for a Spring Wine Tasting...


Tuesday, May 4, 6:30PM
Social - 12 West Peachtree Place Atlanta, GA 30308
http://www.Socialintown.com

Located in downtown Atlanta, Social is comprised of two sprawling floors of scintillating Euro-Mediterranean flavors. A 25 foot marble bar and communal tables are perfect for an after-hours drink or neighborhood gathering. An elegant split level dining room overlooks the trees below on West Peachtree place, resulting into a perfect private culinary experience. Don't miss this fabulous tour of great wines from Bacco paired with yummy bites for only $25/person!

Wine Pairing Selections:

Giribaldi Gavi, Piedmont, Italy
Eggplant Caviar

Printhie Chardonnay, Orange, Australia
Mussels au Pernod

Mas de Bazan Rosado, Utiel-Requena (Valencia)
Roasted Portabella Mushroom

Heredad Hidalgo Tinto, Rioja
Grilled Chicken Livers on Toast

Mas de Bazan Bobal, Utiel-Requena (Valencia)
Andalusian Meat Balls

Bodegas Hidalgo Marqués de Pagollano, Cigales
Cheese Plate

RSVP:
Telephone: 404.525.2246
E-Mail: info@socialintown.com


Cheers!

Friday, April 30, 2010

Champagne Sabering Concludes Atlanta Food & Wine Month 2010 on April 30th!







Champagne Sabering Ritual Closes Out the Month!
Friday, April 3Oth from 6-8p.m.


sa·ber: (verb) to strike with a heavy, one-edged sword

You're invited to a special reception at the prestigious St. Regis hotel to celebrate the conclusion of the 2nd Annual Atlanta Food & Wine Month series! The event will include an authentic champagne sabering ritual and a Proclamation from the City of Atlanta.

RECEPTION TICKETS & INFO: Click here for more information.

Join us for dinner immediately following the reception at Paces 88 American Bistro (located inside the St. Regis). Reception guests will receive a complimentary appetizer with the purchase of an entree. Offer is valid for tonight only - April 30, 2010.

DINNER RESERVATIONS: Please make your reservation now as seating is very limited. Call 404.563.7910 or visit Open Table for online reservations.

Cheers!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Food Network - Atlanta Open Call!



Are you a hopeless home cook? Or is someone you know totally incompetent in the kitchen?

Food Network is looking for the most disastrous home cooks in Atlanta to participate in a very different culinary competition show and they've come to Grape Crush Productions to help spread the word!

This is the opportunity of a lifetime—to work with the best chefs in the country and learn to cook like a professional. Seeking people with a genuine inability to cook, but a need and desire to improve!

NOMINATE YOURSELF
• Has your wife told you it was probably better if you ordered take out?
• At the big potluck dinner, are you always asked to “just bring the napkins?”

NOMINATE SOMEONE YOU KNOW
• Is someone you know constantly offering you food that you have to turn down?
• If you know a dad/mom who can’t scramble an egg, a colleague who can’t convince anyone to try their culinary creations, or a guy friend who tries but can’t seem to get it together in the kitchen, this is your chance to get them the help you BOTH need!

OPEN CALL ATLANTA
W Atlanta Midtown
188 14th Street NE, Atlanta GA 30361
Saturday, May 1st
9am – 3pm
*Please bring a dish that represents your cooking

HERE’S HOW TO APPLY:
CASTING PHONE INTERVIEWS ARE THIS WEEK, SO PLEASE APPLY ASAP!
• Send an email to worstcooksatlanta@gmail.com
• State why you (or the person you are nominating) is the most disastrous cook in the country
• Include name, age, hometown, occupation, contact phone number, and a recent photo of the hopeless cook

Additional information and application available at http://worstcookscasting.com.

You're Invited: Shop, Sip & Savor!

The 2nd Annual Atlanta Food & Wine Month (April 1-30) continues with the ultimate ladies night out - Shop, Sip & Savor! From sangria and shopping, to belly dance lessons and relationship advice, it's the perfect opportunity to get together with the girls.

Click here for tickets and more information. The online discounted ticket sale ends Tuesday.

Be sure to donate to the toiletry drive for your chance to win a FREE home or office wine tasting party!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Organic Food & Wine Tasting






Lenox Square - Home Store
April 17, 2010 from 2-4PM


Join us for a special cooking demonstration and organic wine tasting. Come taste samples of sustainably produced local food and drink, and learn how to re-create at home. We'll also be giving you some ideas for how to dress up your spring parties with chic, eco-friendly style!



Chef Angela McKeller , our favorite "Kook", will demonstrate her party-starting, organic Red Apple & Cherry Wine tartlet as we sample artisan wines made with organically grown grapes. Plus, learn how to reuse your grocery bags for refuse, cut down on energy expense and the importance of finding multiple uses for
each ingredient - and the containers they come in! Angela has appeared on the Food Networkwith Paula Deen and loves to teach others how to make the kitchen their playground.

Tickets are $10 in advance online; $5 from each ticket sold benefits
Share Our Strength.
Click here to purchase tickets today or vist
www.gogreenatl.eventbrite.com.

Artisan Wine Dinner at Paces 88!



April 1 - 30, 2010


St. Regis Atlanta Turns One!

Their anniversary is your lucky day...



SPECIAL PRIX FIXE MENU

$50/person prix fixe menu; $75/person with wine pairing

Join us on April 14th at Paces 88 American Bistro (located inside the St. Regis Atlanta Hotel) to celebrate with an amazing four course Artisan Wine Dinner complete with amazing prizes and giveaways throughout the evening. The price is $50/person plus tax and gratuity or $75/person with wine pairing:

APPETIZER
(Choice of)

Lobster Bisque
Maine lobster and mushroom duxelle
2008 Albert Mann Pinot Blanc – Alsace

Goat Cheese Tart
Roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, arugula
truffle & lemon vinaigrette
2007 J.L.Chave Crozes-Hermitage “Sybele” – Rhone

Intermezzo
Sorbet

ENTRÉE
(Choice of)

Osso Bucco
Red wine braised veal shanks, saffron risotto
2007 Margerum “Colson Canyon” Syrah – Santa Barbara

Scottish Salmon
Sweet corn & bacon ragout, spinach, basil oil
2007 Persimmon Creek Cabernet Franc – Georgia

CHEESE COURSE
A selection of 3 artisanal cheeses
Kluge Estate “Mélange Nouveau” – Virginia

HOMEMADE DESSERTS
(Choice of)

Crème Brulee
Chocolate Caramel Bar
Quinta do Portal 10yr tawny Port

Mention the word Anniversary and receive a discounted rate for your stay at the St. Regis for $199/night!

RESERVATIONS:

Please make your reservation today as seating is very limited.
Call 404.563.7910 or click here to visit Open Table for online reservations.

Complimentary valet parking available.

This is an official Atlanta Food & Wine Month event.