How local wine clubs turn vineyard treks into lasting connections.
Opening a bottle of wine is a quick way to travel without a passport, offering a direct link to a distant hillside, a specific microclimate and generations of farming heritage. A single pour can tell the story of the soil where it was grown and the family who tended the vines. But for Bethany Taylor, shop manager at Brookhaven Wines and founder of Sip with Bet, wine is a way toward global exploration and lasting local community as much as it is a sensory escape.
When Taylor joined Brookhaven Wines in 2020, she expanded the shop’s travel program, established in 2017, with a distinct and immersive vision. She wanted to move travelers past crowded, commercial tasting rooms and take them straight to winemaking regions. “We don’t simply go to tasting rooms,” she says. “We sit down with winemakers and their families and break bread and dig in the dirt of the vineyards.” Traveling in small groups across Europe, South America and an upcoming expedition to South Africa, Atlantans gain an intimate, unvarnished appreciation for artisanal viticulture and terroir-driven bottles.
That same passion for connection fuels Taylor’s personal venture, Sip with Bet, where she acts as personal sommelier and trip leader for smallgroup wine journeys designed to eliminate the filler. Her curated itineraries take travelers to offthe- beaten-path cellar doors you cannot book by Google. Recent and upcoming excursions include a four-day Riesling deep-dive across Seneca and Cayuga lakes in New York’s Finger Lakes, a Loire Valley chateau trek focusing on crisp chenin blanc, and intimate sangiovese explorations through the rolling hills of Tuscany.
The wine journeys create personal bonds that endure long after landing. Sharing a meal with winemakers abroad transforms fellow Atlanta travelers into lifelong friends, turning a neighborhood wine shop and local tasting rooms into vibrant gathering hubs once everyone returns home.
BROOKHAVEN WINES
brookhavenwines.com
@brookhavenwines
SIP WITH BET
sipwithbet.com
@sipwithbet
More Wine-Fueled Wanderlust
THE PERLANT
At Buckhead’s design-forward private social club, global travel serves as a seamless extension of its deep, 1,000-bottle cellar. Wine Director Elizabeth Dames and sommelier Jason Wilfore lead members on highly curated wine trips to historic viticultural regions, taking travelers beyond standard tours and directly into the cellars of acclaimed producers. Designed as an all-day hospitality space, The Perlant features a wine bar, library and main dining room. Shared memories of far-flung vineyards can convert into lasting friendships over regular tastings, educational classes and casual evening pours at the bar.
theperlant.com
@theperlant
PERRINE’S WINE SHOP
Founder and sommelier Perrine Prieur Gallardo approaches global wine travel through intimate curation and has previously led groups as small as four to the legendary cellars of Burgundy to meet small-batch producers face-to-face. While her international treks return in 2027, Gallardo is spending this year channeling that same globetrotting spirit into exclusive, experiential local immersion for her 150-member wine club. Using wine as a passport for connection, she curates immersive local gatherings ranging from intimate rooftop cocktail previews to a family style, eight-course wine dinner cooked by chef Shai Lavi at The Third Space. Whether her members are exploring family-run vineyards abroad or gathering for exclusive pairings via taco Tuesday, hikes or flower bouquet making back in Atlanta—events she is planning— Gallardo ensures the journey always centers on shared discovery and building community.
perrineswineshop.com
@perrineswine
