Find your new favorite wine and charcuterie pairing at this upcoming expo
Aug. 9—This month, local wine aficionados can raise a glass to summer's waning days as their palates embark on a guided tour through the wine regions of the world, courtesy of Cork It.
Set for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19, the excursion doubles as the Gainesville wine bar's inaugural wine expo.
Cork It Wine Expo
Where: 118 Main St. SW, Gainesville
When: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19
How much: $25 presale, $30 at the door
Tickets and info: facebook.com/corkitgainesville
According to Cork It owner Roland Stanley, the event features six North Georgia vendors each bringing about five different wines to pair with charcuterie meats and cheeses.
Presale tickets can be purchased now for $25, or at the door for $30. Each ticket affords five 3-ounce tastings. Guests will be able to buy additional tastings if they so desire, Stanley said.
"We thought this would be a great opportunity to bring everyone together (and) try some really great wines. Every distributor carries different wines, because they all have different labels that they're allowed to carry. So, it's just going to provide such a huge variety; there's going to be so many different wines."
Live music will be provided by duo Malachi Mills and Logan Simmons.
Cork It also houses a wine club through which members receive three bottles of wine and a tasting event every month for $65.
While the club has garnered a good deal of interest, Stanley said Cork It has also garnered feedback from consumers who are keen on the idea but not necessarily ready to sign up. For this subgroup, the wine expo was designed to be "a more open-door public tasting," according to Stanley.
"Something we had always wanted to do was expose people to different wines," he said. "Cork It has evolved greatly since we opened. It's turned from a small little wine bar to this gathering place for the city, and I think people are still excited about us."
With the expansion of Flowery Branch-based Peyton's Pie Company — which Stanley co-owns with chef Nick St. Clair — to share a roof with Cork It inside the Main Street Market, Stanley anticipates that excitement will only amplify.
Expected to open within the next month or two, depending on the arrival and installation of the eatery's pizza oven, Stanley said the businesses will likely partner on a monthly basis to host pizza and wine pairing events.
With about 100 tickets sold thus far, Stanley hopes the expo offers a taste of exposure and enjoyment.
"Because there's such a variety of wines (at the expo), hopefully there's something for everybody," he said. "Some people may like drier wines, some people may like sweeter wines, some people may like wines that are higher in tannins — it really just depends on the person. Everyone has a unique, individual palate, and we wanted to create an event that would capture everybody — an event that would pique interest for everybody."
For tickets and event info, follow Cork It Gainesville on Facebook.
