Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/80298
S o there I was, sitting in the lounge of the Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas at Las Colinas, look- ing over the wine list. And my heart was pounding. Across the table was Bill Elsey, a young man who had just passed his Advanced Sommelier test a few days earlier; and, exactly one year ago on this day, was crowned Texas's Best Sommelier. Protocol, of course, called for me to defer to Elsey, but he was taking his own sweet time. He kept asking, "What looks good to you?" and I kept putting him off with the exact same question. He finally announced that he actually felt like enjoying an Americano cocktail. Whew. I quickly ordered a Sam Adams, and probably downed it in record time. I don't usually get rattled by wine folks, but this was TEXSOM, and the landscape was much different from anything I'd ever experienced. Held service industry that prompted this," said Tidwell, taking a breather during the three-day event to sit down with his partner in wine and speak with THE TASTING PANEL. "We wanted to bring together the wine professionals in our state and advance wine educa- tion levels, quality of service, and just general knowledge. We also wanted to see who else was out there." Eight years ago, to be perfectly hon- est, there weren't that many, admitted Hendricks. "When we started this thing there was one Master Sommelier in Texas, now there are seven. There were four Advanced, now there are count- less. Well, you could probably count them—I think it's in the high 20s." "Which means that we have 20-something people who are eligible to sit for the Master's exam or are sitting for it," Tidwell added. "We're happy with those numbers but we want more so, there's so much wonderful camaraderie." The weekend provided tastings of numerous varietals from around the world, along with some highly special- ized seminars, including one from Wayne Belding, MS, who educated attendees about the Kimmeridgian Chain, a chalk and limestone stratum in Europe that helps produce the best characteristics in world-class Chablis and Sancerre. To my recollection, this was the first time continental drift had been introduced into a wine class. There was also an overview of the Texas wine industry, presented by Christy Canterbury, MS and Guy Stout, MS, CWE and Corporate Director Beverage Education for Glazer's Distributors. The wine-tasting portion emphasized (as I've been writing in this publication for five years now) how Texas winemakers have finally Guy Stout, of Glazer's Family of Companies, raises a glass to another successful TEXSOM. each August, TEXSOM is truly a one-of-a-kind event sponsored by the Texas Sommelier Association and The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas that convenes wine professionals and enthusiastic enophiles from around the world. Co-founded in 2005 by James Tidwell (MS, CWE and Sommelier for the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas) and Drew Hendricks (MS, CWE and Director of Beverage Education for Pappas Restaurants in Houston), TEXSOM pulls off the unique feat of bringing together more Master Sommeliers in one place than just about any event you can name. And they bring them to—of all places—Texas. "It was the state of the Texas wine 124 / the tasting panel / september 2012 Wayne Belding was one of two dozen Master Sommeliers in attendance. more." And if you think those numbers are impressive, wrap your head around the fact that 25 Master Sommeliers from around the world participated in this year's TEXSOM, along with hundreds more wine industry profes- sionals and volunteers, all milling around the Four Seasons, dashing from one tasting to the next (I've never seen so many purple teeth in my life), and apparently having the time of their lives. Everything was sold out, and for Monday night's Grand Tasting, nearly 500 people packed the Four Seasons ballroom. "You want to be around people who share your passions and this is a concentrated group with the highest level of passion," said Tidwell. "There's a lot of networking going on, but even gotten the message that not only will they never make better Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir than California (and elsewhere), but that they don't much care to even keep trying. Instead, Texans are concentrat- ing on varieties that make sense for the soil: Tempranillo, Viognier, Roussanne, Blanc du Bois, Touriga, Tannat and Syrah, to name a few. The next ten years for Texas wines, I'm convinced (and am not alone), will be both revolutionary and mouthwatering. It was what was happening behind the scenes that clearly was building anticipation to fever-pitch levels. Every year, TEXSOM holds a competi- tion to crown Texas's Best Sommelier, which brings me back to last year's winner, Bill Elsey, whose reign when