The Tasting Panel magazine

November 2011

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INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Southern Wine & Spirits Educates at Chicago Gourmet Left to right: Eric Hemer, MS, Director of Wine Education SWS Florida; Bridget Albert, Director of Mixology, SWS of Illinois; Ira Norof, CWE/CSS, Director of Education for SWS of CA; Serafi n Alvarado, MS Director of Wine Education, SWS of Illinois. C hicago Gourmet cel- ebrated its third year by offering wine seminars with wine educators and a Mixology Demo with the top bartenders in the city. Over the course of two days, guests enjoyed food from top restaurants that put Chicago on the map for innovation and quality. Hundreds of high-end wines and spirits were available at stations through the event, supplied from the vast Southern Wine and Spirits of Illinois portfolio. In fact, SWS provided not only the wine and spirits, but some of their top educators from around the country. Bridget Albert, Director of Mixology from Illinois, conducted a hands-on cocktail workshop. Eric Hemer, MS and Educational Director, was joined by Ira Norof, CWE/CSS and Director of Education for SWS California, to conduct a Bordeaux seminar. Serafi n Alvarado, MS Director of Wine Education for SWS in Illinois, spoke on wine perception, using Burgundy as the model. Jay Fletcher, MS Executive Director of Fine Wine for SWS Colorado, led a discussion on Cabernet Sauvignon. SWS continues to reach out to the trade and consumers at events such as this as well, as SOBE in Miami, the NY Wine and Food festival in NYC and the recently conducted "Taste" events in Los Angeles, all in conjunction with charity efforts. Coconut in Winter M ONE TO WATCH: Jerry McCarney T aking a bartending job to pay for student loans, the 21-year-old Cal Poly Political Science major realized that the task was actu- ally a silver lining. He loved bartending. School, not so much. Now 27, Jerry McCarney, who has helped support his family along the way, is making a name for himself in the Los Angeles community of Tarzana, an upscale bedroom neighborhood that's home to Bleecker Street. Named for the once-bohemian now club-crowded passage in New York's Greenwich Village, the West Coast version is comparatively tame, on a quiet street off Ventura Boulevard. But what sets this place apart is a smart menu of artisan pizzas and fresh-ingredient fare staffed with a Beverage Director who has, in his short stint here, brought in some new life, cool drinks Jerry McCarney, District Beverage Director of Bleecker Street/BKM Restaurant Group/ Tarzana, CA. alibu Rum brings something special to the holidays this year: Malibu Winter Limited Edition. Malibu Winter is an authentic blend of Caribbean rum with real coconut fl akes suspended in the liquid which, when consumed, dissolve slowly in the mouth. It will be available at retail stores throughout the U.S. through December. Malibu Winter Edition package design incorpo- rates a clear, see-through window on the brand's iconic white bottle to showcase the coconut "snow" fl akes fl oating in the liquid. Available in a 750-ml. size for a suggested price of $13.99. 10 / the tasting panel / november 201 1 and fashionable wines. After a month, McCarney is carrying $100,000 in inventory—a global selection of wines that sell. He's just fi nishing up his sommelier certifi cation and awaiting the opening of a sister restaurant across the street; he's on his way. "I am always learning," the young man confi des. "That's been said, but I have a thirst for knowledge." While making numbers and delivering the bottom line to the restaurant's owners is his job, McCarney's values and enthu- siasm make him one of the company's brightest assets. He is young enough to keep the vibe at the hip Bleecker Street alive and wise enough to drive sales through trend-setting cocktails and an ever-changing wine-by-the-glass list. He beams when it comes to the prospect of suc- cess. "Give me a quota and I'll feng shui those numbers triple fold." —Meridith May PHOTO: MERIDITH MAY PHOTO: ERICA GANNETT

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