Welcome to the
Wine Society of East Tennessee
The Wine Society of East Tennessee is located in Knoxville. We are an informal wine appreciation society. If you think wine tasting should be pompous, snobbish and stuffy, then we're not for you. Our aim is to give people an enjoyable evening in pleasant company and an opportunity to try all sorts of foods and wines and find what suits their personal taste. You don't have to be knowledgeable about wine and you don't have to be able to detect gooseberries in a Sauvignon Blanc. Since we don't sell any wine, there is never any pressure to buy anything and we absolutely do NOT disclose members' details to third parties. The Wine Society of East Tennessee is a not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to the appreciation of fine wine and food. Founded in 1977 and led by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, there are approximately 350 active individual, restaurant and liquor store members. Currently, individual membership dues are $25.00 per year (with monthly delivery of newsletter through email, or $40 per year with monthly delivery of newsletter through USPS). Many of the stores offer discounts on selected purchases made by card-carrying members of the Society.
We have twelve dinners, one dinner each month, and nine to eleven tastings per year. Approximately twelve to fifteen ounces of wine (slightly over one-half bottle of wine) are poured per person at these functions. Experience has shown that these portions allow our members and guests to appreciate and evaluate several wines without consuming an unsafe amount of alcohol.
The format of the tasting varies with the type of wine(s) being served. Inexpensive, everyday wines are served at informal tastings with light hors d'oeuvres and minimal commentary. Formal educational tastings are held in a more controlled setting and include commentary aimed at beginning, intermediate, and advanced tasters. Occasionally the Society hosts a very special tasting featuring some of the world's best wines. On those occasions, special foods are often prepared by the chef of the restaurant hosting the event.
Each month the Society also offers a dinner in addition to the tasting. Food and wine are carefully matched. These meals range from relatively inexpensive dinners to true gourmet delights. In this way all wine lovers are reached, from the novice who has just begun exploring the possibilities to the most sophisticated gourmet. Wine tasting and dining should be an enjoyable experience, and the Society endeavors to provide such experience for its members. Information about Society functions is published in the Member's Journal distributed monthly by mail or e-mail to Society members.
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