Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/426275
{ SOMMjournal.com } 7 Wines of Chile's strategy was simple: use Millennial sommeliers to reach Millennial consumers—a demographic hyped for its love of experimentation. "It cost a lot of money to change people's minds," says Bentwood, who took the bold step of eschewing top-tier sommeliers. "These are the people who will be beverage directors of tomorrow: I'd rather get in front of people who are forming opinions about us and show them they don't know all there is to know about us." Carrying the tag "For the Love of Wine," the unique format served a dual purpose: present a new, holistic way to think about Chile, and engage sommeliers in a memorable way by letting them use wine as a tool to tell their stories. Chosen by the Guild of Sommeliers to lead the teams, Chris Raftery (Corkbuzz Wine Studio), Anna-Lisa Campos (Momofuku Ssäm Bar), Victoria James (Marea) and Morgan Harris (Aureole) rallied the efforts. Each captain powered through 70 wines in a day, making their eight selects in a Round Robin tourney. They reconvened with their teams to marry their lists with their ideas of Chile, and working with a $2,000 budget, set out to create a stage and a narrative. "I don't think I had many expectations until I was a little more involved," noted Morgan Harris of the Wena Weón team. "Once I saw the pre-event schedule and our budgets, I got more excited about the potential of the project and what we could accom - plish." His team created a 1970s-style lounge with retro touches such as card tables and a turntable that reflected their chilled- out theme (Wena Weón is a Chilean way of saying "Hi"). The exercise caused the sommeliers to step outside of the usual platitudes. Team James, for example, dug into political history to create Carrete!, an homage to Chile's underground art revolution. "I quickly fell in love with the concept, my team's ambitions grew and we all pushed one another to create the best product we could," said Victoria James. "Finis Terrae" (End of the Earth), captained by Chris Raftery, was part garden, part botany lesson, and reflected what the team had learned about the country's microclimates and extreme landscapes. "We were going for a 'nature reclaiming Valparaíso' aesthetic," Raftery said. "We didn't want it to be apocalyptic, but a beautiful scene of vines slowly creeping in and hanging down." Anna-Lisa Campos, captain of the "Earth's End" bar, which evoked an old-time journey through vintage travel accessories. "I have a huge love for South America. I already liked some Chilean producers, but during the research on our list I was surprised by exactly how underrepresented the region is," she noted. A former artist, Campos also noted the building aspect was an "incredible draw for me." More than 400 consumers attended the event, generating some $7,000 in ticket sales. The four bars occupied a raw space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn's epicenter for Millennial hipsters, and made use of social media platforms such as live, streaming tweets. Guests had their ballots stamped at each bar and cast their votes at the end of the evening. By a panel of judges and the peoples' ballot, "Earth's End" won the grand prize. (All the somm teams will travel to Chile courtesy of Wines of Chile and LAN Airlines, but the grand prize includes an additional tourism aspect.) "I expected it to be a lot of work, and it was. But the rewards were exceptional, even aside from the generous prizes," Campos said. The event won the hearts of industry pros, too. Geoff Kruth MS, Chief Operating Officer of the Guild of Sommeliers, wrote, "It's honestly the coolest event I've been to in a long time. I see so many 'wines of' organizations wasting money on events that are never going to impact sales or the image of the region they are promoting. I thought this event was a total contrast—out-of- the-box [and] fun. "Chile honestly has its work cut out for them with U.S. som - meliers, but this is exactly the kind of thing that will change that image," he concluded. Team Raftery: "Finis Terrae." Left-to- right: Chris Raftery and Chris Dunaway (Corkbuzz Wine Studio), Rachel Kerswell (The NoMad), Ryan Totman (Corkbuzz). Team Harris: "Wena Weón." Left-to-right: Tanner Walle (Vine Wine), Mia Van de Water (North End Grill), Jim Sligh (Pearl & Ash), Morgan Harris (Aureole).