Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/913027
{ SOMMjournal.com } 59 LUXICON TOUR: NEW YORK by Allyson Gorsuch The Standard, High Line hotel, located in New York City's Meatpacking District, served as the backdrop for the next leg of the Luxicon tour. We gathered in the back room of The Standard Grill for Ballance's seminar, accompanied this time by Kyungmoon Kim, MS and Sommelier at The Modern. The group tasted the first wine together while Ballance detailed her presentation. She again encour - aged participants to pay attention to sight. "Just from the color alone, you can decipher a lot," she said. Ballance then pointed out that silver often indicates a grape with low pigment, green can be a sign of remain- ing chlorophyll and can imply a cool climate, and copper can suggest a grape with deeper skin color. This wine leaned toward gold, which signals oak or age. Kim demonstrated his talent in blind tasting by absolutely nailing the second wine—the Gabbiano 2013 Chianti Classico Riserva. "Every moment is nerve-wracking," he remarked with a laugh, though he described and identified the wine perfectly. Ballance complimented his descriptors and segued into the importance of scoring points when tasting in an exam setting for the Court of Master Sommeliers. "Even if you can identify the wine, you still have to get enough points to demonstrate your knowledge," she explained. The tasting competition embraces this model, assigning one point for identifying the grape variety, one point for naming the country, and half a point each for naming the region and sub-region. Ballance hinted that the four red wines in front of us shared a theme, and they were later revealed as Bordeaux grape-based wines from around the world with a focus on Merlot as the winners were announced. The lineup included Te Mata 2013 Coleraine, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand; Tua Rita 2012 Redigaffi, Toscana, Italy; Beringer 2014 Bancroft Ranch Vineyard Merlot, Napa Valley; and Château Certan de May 2014, Pomerol, France. Tristan Prat-Vincent, Wine Director at Park Hyatt; Sean Dowling, Head Sommelier at Rare650; and Allison Siena, Food & Beverage Manager at the Hilton Garden Inn Roslyn, earned scholarships to enhance their studies. All three seemed to share Siena's feelings. "I was extremely surprised and humbled," she confessed. Prat-Vincent said with a smile, "Not a bad way to start the week!" PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG Participants in the New York City blind tasting competition were faced with four Bordeaux-style blends based on Merlot. The New York City winners flanked by Master Sommeliers Kyungmoon Kim (far left) and Gillian Ballance (far right): Tristan Prat-Vincent, Wine Director, Park Hyatt; Allison Siena, Food & Beverage Manager, Hilton Garden Inn Roslyn; and Sean Dowling, Head Sommelier, Rare650. Master Sommeliers Kyungmoon Kim and Gillian Ballance at the Hilton Garden Inn Roslyn.