Atlanta Wine School (Vino Venue)

Best for: Atlanta-area students looking for WSET courses, wine certification preparation, private tastings, consumer classes, and wine-focused events.
Main credentials: WSET Levels 1–3, Wine Scholar Guild programs, and Society of Wine Educators exam preparation.
Format: In-person classes, tastings, private events, retail-supported wine education, and catered programs.
Location: Dunwoody / Atlanta, Georgia.
Strength: A long-running Atlanta wine-education brand with a history of combining structured courses, tastings, events, and hospitality.
Watch-out: The school relies on third-party certification bodies rather than issuing its own state-recognized credentials.
SOMM verdict: Atlanta Wine School, now closely associated with Vino Venue, remains a significant wine-education platform in the Atlanta market, especially for students seeking WSET courses, consumer-focused classes, and event-based wine education.

About Atlanta Wine School

Atlanta Wine School was founded in 2004 by Michael Bryan, a University of Georgia graduate who had begun teaching informal wine classes two years earlier under the name ConnectWithWine.com.

From its early years, the school positioned itself as a continuing-education hub for wine lovers and trade students. It hosted speakers, organized tastings, and built a steady audience through classes and events. Over time, it became a recognizable Atlanta destination for wine education that blended structured learning with entertainment and hospitality.

Courses and Certifications

Atlanta Wine School has historically relied on established third-party certification frameworks. Its programming has included courses from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, Wine Scholar Guild, and Society of Wine Educators.

That structure allowed the school to offer formal certification preparation alongside experiential tastings, themed wine events, cooking-and-wine programs, and consumer-focused classes.

The school has offered WSET Levels 1 through 3, the Wine Scholar Guild’s Italian Wine Professional program, and preparation for the Certified Specialist of Wine credential administered by the Society of Wine Educators.

These credentials are not issued by Atlanta Wine School itself. Each is administered by its respective credentialing organization, with the school serving as a course provider, preparation site, or examination location.

Vino Venue

In 2012, Atlanta Wine School expanded into a combined wine bar, retail shop, event venue, and classroom in Dunwoody under the name Vino Venue.

The concept brought retail, dining, tastings, and education under one roof. Vino Venue became known for private events and structured tastings, supported by a wine program that included a 32-wine Enomatic dispensing system.

During this period, senior instructor Kelly Wheller played an important role in maintaining the venue’s educational and tasting identity. Wheller is also the founder of Con Vinum, a wholesale distributor focused on family-owned estate wines. Her involvement helped anchor Vino Venue 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 WSET Diploma holder, WSET Certified Educator, and former regional manager at Republic National Distributing Company. Mendyka brought more than a decade of wine and spirits industry experience to the business.

By the end of that year, the restaurant component of the business had closed. The new ownership shifted away from a full-service dining model and moved the business toward catering, private events, retail expansion, and a broader wine-education calendar.

That change signals a return to an education-and-events-first model rather than a restaurant-driven operation.

Michael Bryan’s Legacy

Michael Bryan’s death in July 2017 was a significant loss for Atlanta’s wine community. He was a gifted instructor, a persuasive communicator, and a major reason the school developed early credibility and public reach.

Bryan’s influence remains visible in the institution’s continued emphasis on structured learning, guest speakers, public-facing wine education, and approachable wine instruction, even as the business has evolved under later ownership.

Accreditation, Licensing, and Regulatory Context

In Georgia, private postsecondary and proprietary educational institutions may fall under the oversight of the Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission, which licenses and regulates certain certificate-granting schools for consumer protection.

Neither Vino Venue nor Atlanta Wine School appears to be listed in that database. This is consistent with a broader pattern in the wine-education sector, where many schools offer courses through third-party credentialing organizations such as WSET rather than pursuing state licensure as independent certificate-granting institutions.

That distinction matters for students. WSET, Wine Scholar Guild, and Society of Wine Educators credentials may have industry value, but they are issued by their respective organizations, not by Atlanta Wine School as a state-licensed credentialing institution.

Strengths and Limitations

Atlanta Wine School’s main strength is its longevity in the Atlanta market. The school has operated through multiple phases, from informal wine classes to structured certification courses, then into the broader Vino Venue model of retail, events, tastings, and education.

Its connection to WSET and other credentialing bodies gives students access to recognizable wine-education pathways. Its event and tasting programs also make it accessible to consumers who are not pursuing professional certification.

The main limitation is credential clarity. Students should understand whether they are enrolling in a casual wine class, a third-party certification course, an exam-preparation program, or a private event. Those offerings serve different purposes and carry different levels of professional value.

SOMM Verdict

Atlanta Wine School is one of the more established wine-education brands in the Atlanta market. Its evolution into Vino Venue broadened the business beyond classroom instruction, combining education with retail, tastings, private events, and hospitality.

The school is best suited for students who want in-person wine education in the Atlanta area, especially those interested in WSET courses or consumer-focused tasting programs. Students seeking formal credentials should confirm which organization issues the credential, what exam is required, and how that credential is recognized in the wine trade.