Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/661678
36 / the tasting panel / april 2016 WE'VE GOT EVENTS, AND WE WANT YOU THERE! by Becky Tsadik F rom cocktail competitions to voyaging through vineyards, we are already on a roll with a full agenda of events for the year! We are always on the lookout for new friends to invite to wine tastings, spirited brunches, SOMM Camps and more. Contact me, Becky Tsadik, to join The Tasting Panel and The SOMM Journal on some of our exciting excursions—from British Columbia to Brentwood, California, from the Alexander Valley to Amador County—whether you're a sommelier, restaurant or retail beverage buyer, mixologist or bartender. All events receive coverage in our national magazines and provide exclusive opportunities to connect with other movers and shakers in the industry. Check out some of the exciting places we have been, then reach out to find out how you can join us! I can't wait to hear from you. For more information on upcoming events or to be placed on an inter- est list for a future camp or tasting, email becky@tastingpanelmag.com. Let's Go Camping! CURRENT EVENTS with Becky Tsadik P HO TO: R A ND Y C A PA R O S O Sommeliers field-sort- ing Lodi Zinfandel at last fall's Lodi SOMM Camp: Ivy Nagayama of Sansei Restaurant in Honolulu and Marie Mertz of Todo un Poco Bistro in Elk Grove, CA. Vineyard walks, on–site tastings with winegrowers and grape picking at dawn colored the experience. Marianna Caldwell, Sommelier of Baltaire in Brentwood, CA, mid-sip at our blind Bordeaux blend tasting at Culina restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles. Some of the nearly one dozen wines included Franciscan Estate 2012 "Magnificat" Napa Valley and The Sextant 2012 "Kamal" Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles. (Read the full event re-cap on page 104.) Clockwise from left: Ryan Hooks, Senior Bartender, St. Felix Hollywood; Sarah Grimm, Bartender, St. Felix Hollywood; Phil Wills, co-founder, The Spirits in Motion; Miguel Lopez, Bartender, Village Idiot; Joe Gagnon, Bartender, Concourse; and Tony Pereyra, co-founder, The Spirits in Motion, at the Midori bartender's brunch at The Churchill in West Hollywood. Bartenders and mixologists sampled several dishes paired with Midori cocktails, such as Midori All Night Long. PHOTO: CAL BINGHAM PHOTO: CAL BINGHAM q q q