Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/580744
The first winner of Penfolds' and GQ's Best Dressed Somm competition, AJ Ojeda-Pons, Wine Director and Sommelier at The Lambs Club in NYC. ALL THROUGHOUT SEPTEMBER, PENFOLDS WINES, IN PARTNER- ship with GQ magazine, collected entries for their second annual Best Dressed Somm competition. Male and female somms from across the country sent in their most stylish ensembles via social media in hopes to impress the judges enough to make the top five. As this issue hits your mailbox, Penfolds and GQ will be undertaking the task of selecting and inviting the top five finalists to an exclusive event on October 21, 2015 at the Penfolds House in NYC, where the winner will be announced live. Judges will include GQ's Style Editor, Brett Fahlgren; celebrity chef and style guru Marcus Samuelsson; fashion designer Rachel Roy; and Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker. Excited to crown this year's champion, last year's winner AJ Ojeda-Pons, Wine Director and Sommelier at The Lambs Club, a gourmet establishment just off of Times Square in NYC, talks about the competition: "I am very proud to be the first winner, and the press around the event was great for the establish- ment—I even had fashion brands asking if I would wear their line while I worked." For Ojeda-Pons, the same attention to detail that he pours into his list at The Lambs Club goes into the outfits he wears on the floor. He mentions how important it is to reflect the establishment you work for, which explains why his beautifully tailored shirts and gorgeous pocket squares fit in so nicely with the fine dining experience at the restaurant. This year, Penfolds called on more female somms 104 { competitions } PHOTO COURTESY OF PENFOLDS WINES by Emily Coleman THE SOMM JOURNAL GOES ON THE ROAD TO SEE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE PENFOLDS AND GQ'S NEXT #BESTDRESSEDSOMM Wın! May the BEST DRESSED SOMM