Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/611718
december 2015 / the tasting panel / 1 1 1 Sherman's Overall Experience "I'm a sucker for these situations when the wine community comes together to share their knowledge and experience. Spending the day in seminars and tastings and sharing notes helps you learn new things or helps to reinforce the things you knew, or thought you knew. This is second best to actually visiting the place." Sherman's Takeaways "The best part of the day was having the producers there. These are the people that have an intimate knowledge of how their wines are made giving sommeliers like myself an opportunity to geek out and know it's alright. Other than going to the vineyards themselves, having the winemaker there helps put a face to that bottle of wine. The extension to this is that it gives me more to say tableside, which brings the wine to life for my guests as well." Sherman's Must Mentions "I think I enjoyed the A Sense of Place seminar the best because of the diverse set of producers representing very different terroirs. I believe the winegrower is the most important aspect of the terroir. Since I work at Valentino, where the owner is from Sicilia, I have developed a love of Sicilian wine and meeting Salvatore Geraci of Palari was special." balancing their wine list with their studies, CAC affords an opportunity to get the most information out of a single experience." A-16 Crew's Biggest Takeaways Says Castaneda, "At work, I am often given the opportunity to share the biography of the bottles on our list. My experience at Cru Artisan College has inspired me to share the history and present-day context of wines regarding modern prac- tices, such as the use of eco-friendly pesticides on historical vineyards or the recycling of greywater by winer- ies. During the Going Green course, Rudy Buratti spoke on Castello Banfi's practice of reducing their bottle weight by 200 grams. The weight reduction resulted in 10,000 less light bulbs used and over 1,400 fewer miles of car travel. It was very clear that Rudy is committed to creating an exceptional product in a manner that is as environmentally responsible as possible. I found both him and his practice very admirable." A-16 Crew's Must Mentions Wettersten says, "Salvatore Geraci of Palari. I've always had a high reverence for his wines and so the opportunity to hear him talk about the super tiny and obscure Faro DOC and his wines, while having them in front of me, was truly special. Another wine I left seeking to try again was the Cerulli Spinozzi Pecorino. The alluvial soils in the vineyards nestled between Apennines and the Adriatic Sea creates a beautiful expression of the grape that highlights the notes of broom which I find a trademark of the grape while keeping it in balance with the rest of the wine." CAMPUS LOCATION: ORANGE COUNTY, ISLAND HOTEL, NEWPORT BEACH STUDENT: Paul Sherman, Advanced Sommelier at Valentino, Santa Monica 2016 CRU ARTISAN COLLEGE DATES AND LOCATIONS Feb 25: Johnson & Wales University, Miami Feb 29: White Oak Kitchen, Atlanta March 1: Martha Washington Hotel, New York City March 2: University of Houston, Houston See pages 26–27 for information on how to participate. Beloved Angeleno Advanced Sommelier Paul Sherman, at Valentino in Santa Monica. Fontana Candida Frascati sneaks into the famous secret dining room cellar of Valentino in Santa Monica. PHOTOS: CAL BINGHAM