Apres Wine Company

APRÈS WINE COMPANY BRINGS INNOVATIVE WINE TASTING EXPERIENCE TO SOUTH LAKE TAHOE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE South Lake Tahoe, CA – January 2009 – Locals and visitors in South Lake Tahoe will find the Après Wine Company a welcomed addition to the area’s entertainment and retail offerings.  Après, a wine bar and full-service retail merchant of fine wines and gifts will be pioneering the “taste before you buy” system in the Lake Tahoe area.  At Après, patrons can relax with friends, sample the best wines from around the world and find gifts for any occasion.  Located in the heart of the Ski Run Business District, Après Wine Company is the newest tenant in the recently completed Ski Run Center, across the street from Lake Tahoe and just one mile from Heavenly Ski Resort.

Après Wine Company is the dream venture of JP Lonergan, a long-time South Lake Tahoe home owner and new full-time transplant to the Tahoe area.  After years of wine collecting and study, JP decided to abandon his SoCal real estate career and pursue his passion.  “My goal is to provide people with a wine experience like no other,” says the enthusiastic Lonergan.  “Our Enomatic tasting machines allow you to taste many different wines in a relaxed enjoyable setting.  We specialize in ‘world class’ small production, artisan crafted wines from the entire planet at all price points.  I plan to carry in excess of 300 labels with 50 wines available to taste daily.”

Lonergan looks forward to serving the local community and area visitors at Après Wine Company.  He notes that staffing is an area that he will be focusing on in the months to come, hiring and developing a friendly and knowledgeable local staff.

More about Après Wine Company

Après Wine Company’s Enomatic Taste Before You Buy System:  Lonergan asks, “Have you ever shelled out your hard earned dollars for a ‘special’ bottle of wine that once opened left you disillusioned and short 50 bucks?”  According to Lonergan, Après Wine Company’s Enomatic wine dispensing machines allow wine buyers to purchase a taste before the expense of buying a bottle, taking the stress and mystery out of ordering and buying wine.  “South Lake Tahoe wine buyers no longer have to be intimidated by pretentious waiters or worrying they’re being sold a wine they won’t like or is too expensive.”

Here is how the Enomatic system works – customers purchase an Après Wine Pass (similar to a debit card) and are handed a wine glass.  Next, they select from 1 of the 24 bottles of wine on tap and choose a pour.  After inserting the Après Wine Pass the machine dispenses a 1 ounce pour, deducts the amount from the pass and pours the wine.  Each bottle can have a different price per serving, and are priced to fit every budget, allowing customers to sample a variety of good, great and super premium wines.  The machines ensure continual wine freshness by injecting neutral gas into the bottles to prevent air from oxygenating the wine.  With Enomatic, a bottle can remain perfectly fresh for weeks.

Lonergan notes, “the system not only provides a sure-fire way to discover new and delicious wines, the process is an entertaining, fun wine-tasting activity to do with friends without the hassle of driving to distant wineries.”

The Wine Bar – Relax Over A Glass of Wine:  Après’ warm and inviting Wine Bar is designed to provide hard-working and hard playing residents and visitors a place to unwind, relax and have a good time.  Serving 24 wines by the glass daily, in addition to the 24 featured in the Enomatic tasting machines, the Wine Bar also has a nice selection delicious appetizers, meals and desserts, and wine flights.  The daily flight menu consists of a selection of wines, usually three 2 ounce portions, presented for the purpose of sampling and comparison.  This format allows tasters to evaluate and contrast different wines within a theme.  For example, wines from the same region and vintage would comprise a flight, or wines from the same variety but different regions. It is a great way to illuminate the similarities and differences in the grouping.

Après’ Wine Bar will also have regular tasting events, play host to periodic guest winery tastings, conduct wine classes and can be reserved for special events.

The Wine and Gift Shop – Find The Perfect Bottle Of Wine Or Gift For Any Occasion:  Après offers shoppers fine wines, wine accessories, and gifts for every personality, from warm household décor for the perfect host to picnic accessories for outdoor enthusiasts.  At Après, 300 quality crafted wines are available by the bottle or case with a broad domestic and international selection to serve wine fans’ interests in new and established vintners.  The innovative Enomatic wine tasting machines that let you “try before you buy” guarantee that customers get just the right wine to toast the host or celebrate a special occasion.  After making these tough decisions, shoppers are encouraged to unwind in the Wine Bar!

So, now with your Après Wine Pass in hand, it’s time to have a little fun!  Come to Après and swirl, sniff, sip and enjoy!

JP Lonergan

JP has been a regular visitor to his family home in Lake Tahoe since the mid-seventies. He and Barbara Tenney (see below) have owned a home in South Lake Tahoe since 2004 and are avid skiers and hikers.

JP brings 17 years of restaurant experience and another 32 years of wine collecting to Après Wine Company.  He recently earned a certificate in the highly respected Vintage series courses at UCLA Extension.  This comprehensive program takes about two years to complete and covers viticulture, wine making, marketing, regional differences, industry economics and food and wine pairing.  JP holds a California Real Estate license and has worked with home developers in Southern California for the past 17 years.  JP has one daughter, Delaney, 17, an accomplished rhythmic gymnast.  In 2007, Delaney was a representative on the US National Rhythmic Gymnastics Team (top 4 ranking) and ranked 11th nationally in 2008.  Delaney attends high school in Los Angeles.

JP’s newest venture is Après Wine Company, a wine bar and full-service retail merchandiser of fine wines and gifts located in South Lake Tahoe, California.

JP is also an accomplished magician and member of Magic Castle, the world’s most famous club for magicians and magic enthusiasts and home to The Academy of Magical Arts, Inc.  His magic career led to some acting gigs that included a couple of appearances on General Hospital. Look for some drama as he pours some magic out of your next bottle of wine!

Barbara Tenney

Barb brings nearly 30 years of experience in marketing and market research to Après Wine Company.  Most recently Barb worked at Lieberman Research Worldwide as a Vice President in their Entertainment and Media Division, where she consulted with national television, cable and home entertainment clients on effective customer targeting and marketing research and strategies.  She spent 9 years at FOX Broadcasting as VP, Affiliate Research and Marketing.  Prior to FOX, Barb worked at NBC where she began her career as the Research Manager for KNBC, an NBC owned station.  During her tenure at NBC, she also served as VP, Research for the NBC Television Stations Division.  While at FOX and NBC she managed branding, promotion testing, new program/talent testing, local news assessment, program formatting, and sales service studies. Barb graduated with her BS in Business Administration from the University of Oregon (Eugene) and has her MBA from Seattle University.

Barb is co-owner of Après Wine Company, a wine bar and full-service retail merchandiser of fine wines and gifts located in South Lake Tahoe, California.

APRÈS WINE COMPANY FACT SHEET

Location:  3668 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Suite G, South Lake Tahoe. Across the street from Lake Tahoe and one mile from Heavenly Ski Resort.

Phone:  530-544-WINE (9463)

Fax:     530-686-3966

Founders:  JP Lonergan & Barbara Tenney

Website:  www.apreswineco.com

E-mail:  jp@apreswineco.com or barb@apreswineco.com

Marketing & Press Contact:  Barbara Tenney, 530-544-9463, barb@apreswineco.com

Architect & Builder:  MWS, Truckee, California, Gardner Construction, Stateline, NV

Graphic Design:  Duoos Design, Portland, Oregon

About Us:  Après Wine Company is a new wine bar and full-service retail merchant of fine wines and gifts in South Lake Tahoe.  Après Wine Company is the dream venture of JP Lonergan, a long-time South Lake Tahoe home owner and new full-time transplant to the Tahoe area.  Located in the heart of the Ski Run Business District, Après Wine Company is the newest tenant in the recently completed Ski Run Center.  At Après, patrons can relax with friends, sample the best artisan crafted wines from around the world and find gifts for any occasion.  For a truly unique wine tasting experience, 48 different wines can be sampled daily on Après’ innovative Enomatic wine dispensing machines.  By inserting an Après Wine Pass (similar to a debit card) into the Enomatic, customers choose a wine, wait a second for the pour, then… swirl, sniff, sip and enjoy!  Après’ Wine Bar also has regular tasting events, hosts winery tastings, conducts wine classes and can be reserved for special events.

Après Wine Company

3668 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Suite G

South Lake Tahoe, CA  96150

T: 530-544-WINE (9463)

F: 530-686-3966

www.apreswineco.com