ABOUT LADV

 Les Amis du Vin is French for "the friends of wine". We can think of no more fitting name for an organization whose goal is to provide a forum for the appreciation of fine wine and food...

  An "LADV" group, in one form or another, has been in existence for 20+ years. Much of the continuing success has come from ensuring that it mirrors the unique style and tastes of Austinites.  Like Austin, we are relatively informal, gathering a few times each month to enjoy excellent wine and food in the company of others who share a similar appreciation.  (If you're interested, learn more about this long history.)

  The organization is dedicated to wine appreciation and education. Further, it is based on the belief that wine is essentially a social beverage.  You may have attended wine tastings before, or perhaps heard stories of snobbish people swirling wine in their glasses and scowling; because of our beliefs, you will find our events quite different than that.  If we hadn't found a way to make things casual, social, affordable, and downright fun, we wouldn't have remained a cornerstone of Austin's wine consumers world for as long as we have, with hundreds of members.

  The other secret to our success is variety.  First of all, we cater to a fairly broad range of people.  We are not very concerned about whether you know a lot, or a little, about wine; we are one of the very few winetasting organizations that successfully cater to both the experienced wine lover and the person who is just beginning to develop a passion for wine.  We realize and are happy that different people have different goals, different interests, and different aptitudes.

  We are able to cater to a range of people by having events employing different formats.  We leave it up to each individual to determine which events feel right for them and are of interest to them.  The most common of these formats are:

• Educational / Academic - where the focus is on learning about wine, whether important wine regions, wine styles, or other themes.

• Surveys - where we can all try and compare wines; this might be to learn which  wines of a stellar new vintage coming into the market are your favorites and something you'd like to buy, or it might be a unique opportunity to experience a collection of rare and unusual wines.

• Pairings - where we explore the fact that wine really is a food item, learning and enjoying the how's and why's that certain wines are better accompaniments certain foods; these are often multi-course dinners.

• Social Gatherings - where we celebrate the true wonder of wine in the company of other friends that you may bring or that you've made through your previous experiences in LADV. 

  Given the wide range of formats and the huge array of different wines, you can also expect the pricing of events to vary.  However, you can be sure of one thing; unlike most others that offer tastings, we are not trying to get you to buy certain wines nor to make money from our events; our singular goal is to grow and cultivate the wine-drinking community of Austin.  We use the power of our membership numbers to get access to great wines and the company of other ‘wine fans’, in settings and at costs that could not otherwise be offered.  Aiding us in this goal is our good friend and affiliate partner since 1998, Twin Liquors.  Because LADV is not an outlet for wines, we have found Twin to be an excellent partner, assisting us in working with the wine industry in regard to our events, and in helping our members with their wine questions and other needs. 

   So why do we do this?  I think that we all know that there are a wide array of people out there who tell us not to drink at all.  We are honestly trying to fill a void.  LADV believes that drinking wine in moderation can be a true joy (as others have know for thousands of years); we seek to demystify wine helping you achieve comfort in buying, drinking, and enjoying it (yes, you can actually get to where you enjoy the experience of being handed a wine list when dining J ).   Why?  Because we honestly appreciate and enjoy fine wine!

   In case you have been wondering, we require little from you.  We are currently structured so that you are not even required to become a "member" to attend events.   Simply take a look at our Current Events and decide if you'd like to attend any of them.   If you would, or if you have any questions, feel free to Contact Us.

   Simply put, Les Amis du Vin is great for people who truly enjoy fine wine, or think that they'd like to, and appreciate a fun company and a good value.  If that's you, come along.  If not, well…