About St. Louis Wine and Dine

Welcome to the St. Louis Wine & Dine Meetup!

Chris created the group in December 2007, and Marlene became an assistant organizer in April 2008. We enjoy good food, good wine and good company. We invite people with similar interests to join us as we explore wine bars, restaurants with excellent wine lists, wineries and other food and wine purveyors in the St. Louis area.

We offer members many opportunities to meet one another and socialize as we try new wines and revisit favorites in a variety of venues. Our responsibilities to you include posting events on the calendar each month, providing you with information you need to participate, and serving as hosts at the events.

We do not charge annual dues or event fees, but we do ask that you contribute to the group by participating whenever possible, engaging others in conversation, having fun, being responsible and generally being good company.

How can you have the best possible Wine & Dine Meetup experience?

• When you join the group, please upload a photo of yourself (not an avatar, picture of your pet, etc.) and answer the profile questions we ask. Your profile photo and answers help organizers and other members connect with you. Posting a photo allows us to recognize you when you attend an event, and the information you provide helps us start conversations with you. For instance, another member may speak the same foreign language that you do, or may have moved here from the state where you grew up, or be interested in the business you recently started, or live down the street from your favorite wine bar. Also, knowing your wine preferences and experience levels helps us plan events that you'll enjoy.
• Visit the Wine & Dine webpage periodically and see what's on the calendar.
• If you decide to attend an event, RSVP for it and keep your RSVP current. If your plans change, update your RSVP right away. This is important. For some events, we reserve a table, or the venue may accomodate a limited number of people, so we need an accurate headcount. It's not fair to the group or the restaurant for us to reserve a table for 20 and have only 10 people show up, or vice versa. If we reach maximum capacity and more people want to attend, they can opt to be placed on the waitlist. If someone RSVPs "yes" and then cancels, we can move someone up from the waitlist to take their place, but we need at least 24 hours' notice—preferably more.
• When you arrive, if you don't see our group, ask for us. We organizers post our photos so you know what we look like. Also, we always make a reservation—or at least notify the venue that we're coming—and check in with the staff upon arrival so they know we're there and can point us out to you. We make it as easy as possible for members to find us, but you may need to take some initiative, too.
• Relax and enjoy yourself. One of the primary reasons to attend one of our events—besides the wine and food—is to meet people and chat with them. We have many fun, interesting members, and conversation is usually lively. Feel free to share your thoughts, experiences, ideas, recommendations, etc. with your dinner or happy hour companions, and be a good audience when they share theirs, too.
• Come prepared to pay for your own food and beverage, plus tax and gratuity. We usually receive separate checks, which makes it easier to sort out who owes what. In any event, each person is expected to pay for whatever he/she orders, unless two or more people arrange in advance to split a dish or a bottle of wine. Be sure to include local sales tax and at least 15% tip. (Some places assess an automatic 18% gratuity for large parties. In that case, we pay accordingly and don't quibble, so be prepared.)
• If you have a question or concern, bring it to us. We'll answer it or address it immediately and appropriately.

We look forward to meeting you, dining with you, and introducing you to some excellent St. Louis eating and drinking establishments and to some delightful fellow wine enthusiasts.

Cheers!




Chris is Founder and Organizer of the St. Louis Wine & Dine and St. Louis Wine Tasting Meetup groups. When she is not tasting wine, she loves spending time with her dogs, Blackie and Sammie, and her boyfriend, Keith (aka, Common Law).




Marlene is Assisant Organizer for the St. Louis Wine & Dine Meetup. She is a business editor and freelance writer who has worked in the hospitality industry and still enjoys sharing fine dining and wine tasting experiences with fellow foodies and wineaux.