Athens Wine Weekend is returning to The Classic Center January 31 – February 2, 2020. Tickets to this eclectic event are on sale now.
The event is a benefit for The Classic Center Cultural Foundation, which provides resources to entertain and educate the community by supporting diverse performing, visual, and culinary arts programs, while also offering scholarships to upcoming students of the arts.
The weekend begins with an Amuse-Bouche, or “A Little Surprise,” on Friday evening from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., featuring several of the most skilled and talented chefs from Northeast Georgia, who will each provide a sampling of their cooking artistry, all paired with the perfect wine to arouse the palate. Attendees are also invited to take a chance at this year’s Wine Pull during the Amuse-Bouche, where participants will play for top notch bottles of wine from around the world.
Wine enthusiasts are invited back on Saturday for the Grand Tasting from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., which will feature wines from all over the world. Each attendee will receive a complimentary wine glass for tasting, with various distributors on hand for three hours of sipping and sampling. Guests will also enjoy the return of the popular Bourbon Pull, where every player is a winner and will have the chance to go home with a top shelf bottle of bourbon or whiskey.
Take your love of the grape to the next level by attending a wide variety of seminars from some of the most knowledgeable experts and sommeliers in the industry.
Saturday’s festivities conclude with an elegant six-course, gourmet Portuguese dinner. Each course is exquisitely crafted and created by The Classic Center’s in-house caterer, Levy. Wine pairings are hand-selected to accentuate the palate with each course. All Gourmet Dinner wines are provided by Northeast Sales Distributing.
Round out the weekend with Sunday’s Sparkling Wine Brunch. Morning people unite for specialty mimosas and a delicious breakfast buffet.
This year’s Athens Wine Weekend experience will feature three separate silent auctions, one at every Wine Weekend event except for the Sparkling Wine Brunch. Silent auction winners will be announced at the conclusion of each event. Combined with the money raised from each silent auction, a Golden Ticket Raffle is also available for purchase, with all funds donated to The Classic Center Cultural Foundation’s scholarship program. Tickets are $100 and only 500 will be sold. Five lucky winners will win one of the following grand prizes:
1) Two reserved spots on the 2020 Classic Center Cultural Foundation’s trip to Portugal
2) Two reserved spots on the 2021 Classic Center Cultural Foundation’s trip to New York City + two tickets to the 2020 – 2021 Broadway Entertainment Series
3) Two reserved spots on the 2020 Classic Center Cultural Foundation’s 501 Club trip + two tickets to the 2020 – 2021 501 Series
4) Two Full Bottle Package tickets to the 2021 Athens Wine Weekend
5) A one-week stay at a beautiful home on Lake Burton
