Tastings and Events

Upcoming Events

How to Attend Our Events

Wine Tastings and Wine Extravaganzas: Tastings do not require advance reservations and you may simply join us at any time during the tasting hours. Any charges for the tasting can be paid at the door.

Classes, Seminars, and Dinners: Seats for these events are only available by advance reservations. For more information on Advance Reservations, see our information box at the bottom of this page.

In addition to our regular Saturday tastings, please join us for these special events

Saturday, March 13th 11 AM to 5 PM

Double Feature Tasting with Special Bordeaux Values Pre-Sale Event

No Reservations Required. Just $1 (includes a tasting glass you can keep)

In addition to our regular Saturday tasting of great new wine finds, we are pleased to have Chuck King, representing Bordeaux Importer Yvon Mau, to present a special tasting of great Bordeaux value wines. All of these wines are wonderful values, but you will get a chance to order your favorites at very special pre-sale prices, making them an even bigger value than normal!

Thursday, March 11th 5 PM to 7 PM

Meet Michael Zimmerman of Junius Lindsay Vineyards
No Reservations Required. Just $1 (includes a tasting glass you can keep)

Taste the North Carolina wines that beat the best from California and meet the winery owner. This January, at the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, two wines from Junius Lindsay Vineyards won medals over many long time California producers, and were the only North Carolina wines to medal in their categories.

The 2008 Junius Lindsay Second Leaf Viognier-Roussanne won Gold, and was one of just 4 Gold Medals in the Rhone White Varietals and Blends category (along with star California wineries Laetitia Nadia White, Treana White, and VIE Roussanne. The 2007 Junius Lindsay Triomphe Red competed in a very competitive category of Rhone Red Blends, taking one of just 17 Bronze Medals awarded. It was the only North Carolina wine to appear anywhere in the medal list in this category where the winners read like a “whose who” of longtime California producers like JC Cellars, Fess Parker Epiphany, Michael David Vineyards, and more!

Taste both these medal winners and other wines from Junius Lindsay. We hope you can come by and congratulate Michael, and taste these award winning wines and the other great wines from the winery.

Tuesday, March 16th 5 PM to 7:30 PM
A BBQ and Shiraz Fest featuring Honky Tonk Pig BBQ and Grateful Palate Imports Wines
No Reservations Required. Just $10 (includes a tasting glass you can keep)
Join us for what may be the match made in heaven. BBQ and Australian wines. Nothing tops great ribs, brisket, and pulled pork BBQ done Southern style than great Shiraz, Grenache, or Red Blends done by Australia's best importer, the Grateful Palate. The Honky Tonk Pig will be on hand with a special sampler plate of their incredible BBQ Ribs, Brisket, and Pork, to match with 10 great Aussie wines including the newly arrived 2008 Southern Belle Shiraz Barossa.

The Southern Belle Shiraz is a new Chris Ringland masterpiece aged in used bourbon barrels from Kentucky's own Pappy Van Winkle Distillery (check out the story on this unique wine below and even more info on our website's New Arrivals page). In addition to the Southern Belle, the tasting will feature three brand new Marquis Philips wines, the Shack Shiraz SE Australia, Shack Chardonnay California, Hudson Yards Chardonnay California.

What more could you want? Great BBQ and great wines with a chance to find the ultimate BBQ match. Take notes or don't, we guarantee you will leave with a broad Southern smile on your face.

Friday, March 19th 5 PM to 7:30 PM
Wine Festival featuring New Finds and Old Friends
No Reservations Required. Just $10 (includes a tasting glass you can keep)
Taste some of our favorite, and our customer favorite new wine finds, plus several old favorites including some of our new 20/20 Values selections and SuperDeal selections. No reservations needed. Just drop in.

Thursday, March 25th 5 PM to 7 PM

Meet Klinker Brick Winery owner Lori Felton

No Reservations Required.

Just $5 (includes a tasting glass you can keep plus we will refund the tasting fee off the purchase of any wine featured in the tasting)

We are pleased to have Lori Felton, owner of Lodi's Klinker Brick Winery, come in and present their wonderful wines. Their Old Vine Zinfandel is a huge customer favorite, and their Syrah has been very highly rated for the last few years by Wine Spectator. All of their wines are great values. Taste them all, including their superstar Old Ghost Zinfandel, with Lori and find out more about this star winery!

Tuesday, March 30th 5 PM to 7 PM

Meet Louis Foppiano, owner of Foppiano Winery in Sonoma

No Reservations Required.

Just $5 (includes a tasting glass you can keep plus we will refund the tasting fee off the purchase of any wine featured in the tasting)

Perhaps no other winery in Sonoma Valley has such an iconic image of family ownership for over 100 years. We are very pleased to have Louis Foppiano, the fourth generation to run this winery, visit us to pour their wines including the famous Petite Sirah. Please drop in and welcome Louis to Winston-Salem, and taste the wine his family has made for generations!

Thursday, April 1st 5 PM to 7:30 PM

A Passion for Pinot Noir Extravaganza

No Reservations Required. Just $10 (includes a tasting glass you can keep)

Join us and taste over 24 different Pinot Noir's from all over the globe. Great values to special reserves, this popular event has them all. This is one of the most anticipated Extravaganza's of the year as Pinot Noir is still one of the most popular wines around. Mark your calendars now as you will not want to miss this event!

Advance Class and Wine Dinner Reservation Information

Seats for all of our classes and wine dinners will only be available by the purchase of an advance reservation. Just calls us at 336-765-8175 to makie your reservation. You will be asked for a credit card to bill the reservation to, which we invoice 2 days prior to the event. Reservation Tickets may also be purchased in person at the store.

If you must cancel within 2 days of the event, we can only refund your event fee if there is a waiting list for the event and we can will your reserved seats with someone off that list. Your reservation is transferable by you to others if you cannot make the event, but due to the limited number of seats for these events, we can only accept cancellations for refunds prior to 2 days before the event.

Don't Miss Our Third Friday Wine & Food Festival

A Wine Merchants tradition for the last 10 years, our Wine & Food Festival is held on the third Friday of every month from 6 PM to 7:30 PM. Taste 12 to 16 wines and enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres and artisan cheeses to match with the wines. The cost is just $10 and no reservations are required. Perfect for gathering with friends before heading on to dinner or a movie. Great wines, good food, and good friends. Join us at our next Wine & Food Festival.

Learn a Little More About Wine and Food

You can't decide what you like if you don't taste, and our classes and seminars allow you to taste as you learn. From three week in depth classes to one night seminars, you can always find a class that suites your tastes and your desire to learn. We cover topics like wines styles and types, wine regions, winemaking, wine and food pairings, wine culture, and a host of other wine and food related subjects. Our staff instructors and guest experts lead you through tasting and learning. Classes and seminars are held throughout the year, so check our event list to see when the next one is scheduled and join us for a fun learning experience.