The Tasting Panel magazine

November 2018

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42  /  the tasting panel  /  november 2018 M aster of Wine Mary Gorman-McAdams will speak at San Diego SommCon this month on diverse topics related to Bordeaux, including the production of dry white wines in the region. In the lead-up to the event, we checked in with Gorman-McAdams for a quick Q&A on a range of industry topics. As the Bordeaux Wine Council's Market Advisor for North America, you have no doubt seen a shift in both production and palates in the United States over the past ten years. What are the more notable differences and how have your education programs changed to respond to market demands? Probably the most noticeable shift is the shift to fresher, less-extracted, less-manipulated wines. There is also much more interest in trying new by Michelle Metter Mary Gorman-McAdams, MW styles from many wine-producing regions—the choice for wine drinkers has never been better. As a well-known, classic region, Bordeaux has had to more proactively work at retaining its relevance among wine profes- sionals and consumers. We now dedicate much more of our resources toward education in the U.S., as we realized that the market's perception of Bordeaux was skewed toward an image of being expensive, a bit old-fashioned, corporate, and exclusively red. While the reds represent more than 85 percent of produc- tion, we are focusing more on the dry whites, rosés, and even sparkling Bordeaux. To actively educate wine professionals on the diversity, acces- sibility, affordability, and modernity of Bordeaux, we are doing things like expanding the number of accredited Bordeaux tutors; creating a number of sommelier-specific programs; making discovery trips to Bordeaux; and expanding regionally with our trade tastings. What information do you hope to relay as buyers consider adding non-red Bordeaux wines to their retail programs? We want to communicate that Bordeaux is not just about red wine, which is still somewhat of an insider secret, unfortunately. There is incredible diversity among the whites: numerous permutations and combinations of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Sauvignon Gris, and Muscadelle from so many different terroirs across Bordeaux. San Diego recently gained a new Master of Wine, Lindsay Pomeroy. What role do you feel MWs who have achieved the designation play in helping others reach it? Once you become an MW, you take on the role of "give-back": All MWs are very closely involved in mentoring MW students on their journey. Most of us are also involved in some way or another on the formal course days, the annual week of student seminars, and in helping grade practice essays and tasting papers. We are available as sounding boards and advisors to help them develop study plans, egg them on when the going gets tough, and cheer when things go well. It is so wonderful to welcome Lindsay into the MW community—I know how hard she worked and I am very excited to have her become part of the fast-growing U.S. contingent of Masters of Wine. The Tasting Panel and The SOMM Journal are proud to serve as the media sponsors of SommCon San Diego (November 14–16). For schedule and registration details, visit sommconusa.com.

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