Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/931490
8 / the tasting panel / january/february 2018 Treasury Wine Estates rolled into Miami this past November for the penultimate stop on its seven-city U.S. Luxicon tour, a tasting program created to promote the wine company's impressive portfolio to a new generation of sommeliers. Previous stops on the tour were made in Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, New York, and San Francisco. Luxicon offered attendees the opportunity to taste through current releases of Treasury's most iconic wines, including Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Penfolds Grange Hermitage, Château Minuty Cuvée 281, and Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay, among others. More than 50 aspiring som- meliers from both coasts of the Sunshine State flocked to the Eden Roc Hotel on Miami Beach to take part in this interactive program, which also included an educational workshop on preparing for the Master Sommelier exam from the Court of Master Sommeliers. Two industry leaders conducted the workshop and seated tasting: Treasury Wine Estate's own Education Director Gillian Ballance, MS, DSW, and Eric Hemer, MS, MW, and the Senior Vice President and Corporate Director of Education for Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits of America. "The Luxicon workshop was designed to give young somms insider tips on studying while walking them through the agony of prepping for the exam," said Ballance of the semi- nar, which focused on tasting evaluation, terminology, and suggested technique for getting the most out of studying for the exam. "I think you can never know enough," she added. Exercises included a walk-through of the Court's Deductive Tasting Language Chart and Deductive Tasting Format (available on the Court's website at mastersommelier.org), a few tips on best practices, and a discussion on the importance of smell in evaluating wines ("The nose is the most important part of tasting," said Hemer). Attendees also blind-tasted six Treasury wines, which they were asked to evaluate on paper before submit- ting their results to the teachers. The three highest-scoring attendees were each awarded $1,200 scholarships toward furthering their wine educa- tion. "It was a tight race," said Ballance of the process to pick the winners. "In the end we had to resort to a raffle to break the tie." That ultimately determined the vic- tors: Adrian Lopez, Sommelier at Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann in the Faena Hotel on Miami Beach; Tim Bubar, Lead Sommelier at the Faena Hotel; and Éric Blais, Wine Director at USS Nemo in Naples, Florida. Kyle Ferchland, Luxury Trade Marketing Manager for Treasury, said the program represented a "great oppor- tunity for Treasury to present its luxury portfolio to the next-generation somms." "This year's response has been wonderful," he added. "We hope to build on it next year." Attendees were asked to blind taste six Treasury wines before evaluating them on paper and submitting their results to the teachers. There were three victors: Tim Bubar, Lead Sommelier at the Faena Hotel (left); Adrian Lopez, Sommelier at Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann in the Faena Hotel on Miami Beach (second from left); and Éric Blais, Wine Director at USS Nemo in Naples, Florida (second from right). Also pictured are Gillian Ballance, MS, DSW, Treasury Wine Estates Education Director, and Eric Hemer, MS, MW, Senior Vice President and Corporate Director of Education for Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits of America. Luxicon Tour Wows Miami The tasting at Eden Roc in Miami included a walk-through of the Court's Deductive Tasting Language Chart and Deductive Tasting Format, a few tips on best practices, and a discussion on the importance of smell in evaluating wines. by David Ransom / photos by Benjamin Rusnak by David Ransom / photos by Benjamin Rusnak