Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/188061
Winemaker Todd Webster (left) and owner Pat Brennan of Brennan Vineyards are excited by the media attention that TexSom brings to Texas wines. the other rooms, where there were seminars on sake, explorations of Bordeaux, and instruction on bourbon. After all, we can't know everything, especially with the constantly changing landscape of adult beverages. However, another unique facet of the conference is the competition for Texas beverage professionals, which took place in private on the first day. These two-dozen up-and-coming professionals were expected to know everything (well, almost everything) about wine, beer, spirits and the culture that surrounds them. Each competitor was individually examined on practical service skills, food-and-wine pairing, blind tasting, and general (and very specific) knowledge of the beverage world. The highest scoring candidate would be named Texas's Best Sommelier. On Sunday, I had run into Scott Ota of Austin's Arro Restaurant as he was waiting to take his exam. This was his third year in the competition and, though he always seems to be smiling, he was fidgeting a bit, and clearly antsy. "I'll be happy in about an hour. Then I'll be done," he told me. The Social Network In addition to competition and education, there is always a lot of networking at TexSom. Participants huddled together in the hotel lobby, chatted outside by the pool and gathered en masse at the Hospitality Suites on Sunday evening. Hosted by various beverage interests, the object of the Suites was to get your products tasted by the right people, who, in turn, put them on their wine lists, sell them in their shops, and report on them through their media outlets. Like the rest of the conference, it's just about impossible to visit all of the Hospitality Suites. But I can report that the Washington State Wines room was well-attended and engaging, as was the Esprit du Vin room. But when I caught James Tidwell coming out of the Taste Texas Wines suite, he looked at me and shook his head sadly before saying, "I guess Texas wines are just not that popular." Believe me: He was kidding. Hosted by McPherson Cellars, Pedernales Cellars, Brennan Vineyards and Duchman Family Winery, the room had an overflowing crowd. "I think Master Sommelier Fred Dame, VP of Prestige Accounts at American Wine & Spirits, and Texas winemaker Kim McPherson of McPherson Cellars at the Taste Texas Wines Hospitality Suite. 148 / the tasting panel / october 2013 TP1013_104-152.indd 148 9/23/13 10:38 PM