Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/977771
may 2018 / the tasting panel / 99 W hen The Tasting Panel invited an all-star panel of Texas sommeliers, wine buyers, and wine personali- ties to gather at Austin's III Forks Steakhouse to test their mettle in a formidable blind speed tasting of ten bold wines from across the globe, the wines—big, inky reds with abundant tannins and struc- ture—presented a challenge that cast the room in virtual silence, save for the sounds of slurping, swishing, and the occasional appreciative "mmm." With a cash prize of $500 on the line for the most accurate somm in terms of identifying region and variety, the stakes were high, and Paul Ozbirn of Vino Vino in Austin eventually took home the bragging rights. "It was a very challenging tasting," noted New Waterloo Beverage Director Mandi Nelson, who curates the wine program at Austin's Central Standard and received an honorable mention at the tasting. "The wines were very similar in structure and appearance, and you can tell a lot about a wine by its color." Honorable mentions also went to Edward Morgan of Travaasa, and Bufalina Wine Director Rania Zayyat, but noone received a perfect score— after all, the winemakers had some tricks up their sleeves . . . Paul Ozbrin of Vino Vino emerged victorious at the Game of Wines speed tasting. Paul Ozbrin, Sommelier, Vino Vino; Scott Ota, Beverage Director, High Street Wine Co.; Dave Lund, Wine Director, III Forks Steakhouse; Mark Rashap, Director of Wine Education, Wine & Food Foundation of Texas; Chris Costas, Director of Food and Beverage, Westin Austin Downtown; Rania Zayyat, Wine Director, Bufalina; Jacob Brown, Wine Director, COUNTER 3. FIVE. VII; Lindsay Drew, Sommelier, Guild Restaurant; Charles Riley, Regional Director of Food and Beverage, Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas; Mandi Nelson, Beverage Director, New Waterloo; Edward Morgan, Food and Wine Director, Travaasa.