Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/44136
Steven Ashworth W hen you've got a fully appointed spa resort atop a singularly breathtaking ocean view bluff, your beverage program really doesn't need to try that hard. Unless, of course, that program is run by someone like Steven Ashworth. As Resort Beverage Manager and Sommelier of Terranea, in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Ashworth brings 30 years of impres- sive dedication with his appointment earlier this year. Most recently in a similar position at Newport Beach's The Resort at Pelican Hill, Ashworth leaped at the chance to get involved with Terranea's resort-wide sustainable mission. At signature restaurant mar'sel, the Certifi ed Advanced Sommelier (who's also a member of the Association of Italian Sommeliers) works closely with Chef Michael Fiorelli's market-driven menu, maintaining a cellar that is 65% Californian and heavily organic and biodynamic. "It's a challenge," Ashworth tells THE TASTING PANEL, "but a fun challenge. The number of wineries using sustainable practices has defi nitely increased recently—and the quality of the wine has too." Ashworth studied biochemistry and physiology at the University of North Carolina, where he began his adult life as elite track-and-fi eld decathlete, even making alternate on the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. During that time, a wine tasting in Italy had such a major impact that it changed his career altogether. Ashworth still features many Italian wines on his lists—which, he points out, often follow centuries-old practices that are all but sustainable and organic, just "not to the degree that they can be labeled as such." Ashworth also keeps his eye on the creative cocktails served in the dramatic lobby bar, the craft beers available at popular Nelson's Point and even the adult milkshakes served at the Grill poolside. "We are seeing distilleries looking into alternative energies, and more clear spirits being produced in an organic manner," Ashworth notes. Steven Ashworth. Cocktails to Showcase all of The Four Seasons Geoff Duran is the new Bar Manager at The Four Seasons in Westlake Village, California. We'll be following his whisk(e)y bar program closely and report on some upcoming seasonal cocktails in future issues. october 201 1 / the tasting panel / 19 PHOTO: MERIDITH MAY