Vino Venue/Atlanta Wine School

Atlanta Wine School

Founded in 2003 by Michael Bryan, Vino Venue—originally operating as the Atlanta Wine School—was the first consumer-facing, wine-focused education center in the Southeast aimed at both the public and the wine trade. From its early years, the school positioned itself as a continuing-education hub, regularly hosting international speakers and attracting tens of thousands of participants through classes, tastings, and events. Over time, it became a recognizable destination in Atlanta for wine education blended with entertainment and hospitality.

The school’s programming historically relied on external certification frameworks, most notably the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and the Wine Scholar Guild, which allowed it to offer structured, consumer-friendly courses alongside experiential tastings and themed wine events.

Vino Venue

In 2012, the operation expanded into a combined wine bar and retail space in Dunwoody, transforming Vino Venue into a hybrid model that integrated retail, dining, tastings, and education under one roof. The venue became known for private events and structured tastings, supported by a substantial wine program that included a 32-bottle Enomatic wine dispensing system.

During this period, senior instructor Kelly Wheller—also the founder of Con Vinum, a wholesale distributor focused on family-owned estate wines—played a central role in maintaining the venue’s educational and tasting identity, helping anchor it as a recurring destination for Atlanta’s wine-interested public.

Ownership Transition and Strategic Shift

In 2025, Vino Venue was sold to Emily Mendyka, a Level III sommelier and industry professional with more than a decade of experience. By the end of that year, the restaurant component of the business was closed. The menu—previously known for approachable dishes such as crab cakes and schnitzel designed for wine pairing—had been a draw, but the new ownership elected to pivot away from full-service dining.

The current strategy emphasizes catering, private events, retail expansion, and a broadened wine education calendar, signaling a return to the venue’s roots as an education-and-events-first operation rather than a restaurant-driven model.

Michael Bryan’s Legacy

Michael Bryan’s death in July 2017 marked a significant loss for Atlanta’s wine community. A gifted instructor and persuasive communicator, Bryan was instrumental in shaping the school’s early credibility and reach. His influence persists in the institution’s continued focus on structured learning, guest speakers, and public-facing wine education, even as the business itself has evolved.

Educational Scope and Credentials

The Atlanta Wine School offers a mix of one-off classes, cooking-and-wine programs, and multi-level certification tracks. Its credentials are delivered through WSET Levels 1 through 3 and Wine Scholar Guild programs rather than through an independent, state-recognized academic framework.

Accreditation and Regulatory Context

In Georgia, oversight of private postsecondary and proprietary educational institutions falls under the Non-Public Postsecondary Education Commission (NPEC), which licenses and regulates certificate-granting schools for consumer protection. NPEC maintains a public registry of licensed institutions—currently numbering in the hundreds statewide.

Neither Vino Venue nor the Atlanta Wine School appears in this database. This omission is not unusual within the wine education sector, where many programs rely almost exclusively on third-party credentialing bodies such as WSET. However, such reliance offers limited regulatory protection and would be unlikely to satisfy the scrutiny typically applied by a state education authority.