Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/992999
{ SOMMjournal.com } 71 Beverage Maeve Pesquera, who packed up her family and moved to Paso Robles after a buyers' retreat in the region. "Paso renewed my soul and my spirit," Pesquera, now the Senior Vice President for DOAU Vineyards & Winery, said with a smile. "These are real people, in real wineries, doing the real work." Blending winner Tyson Torres, General Manager of Avant at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, agreed with Pesquera. "I was blown away! It was a great opportunity to get to know the winemakers out here and see the facilities and the ranches," he said. "They're all really family-oriented rather than being a big mo - nopoly of wineries. They also all have different characteristics within each sub-AVA, which was nice to see." The immersive experience ended with a luxurious three-course lunch at JUSTIN Winery. Before their depar tures, the somms exchanged contact information with new friends as they discussed the knowledge and insights they gleaned from the trip. "If I were a Cabernet Sauvignon vine, this is where I'd want to be planted," said JUSTIN Winery Winemaker Scott Shirley, who spent years working in the Napa Valley before making his way to Paso Robles. "When we need great Cabernets that we can sell to our customers at an excellent price point, Paso seems to fill those slots a lot quicker than other places would," added Oliver Kohns, Wine Depar tment Manager for Draeger's Market in the Bay Area. He went on to encapsulate the trip in a simple yet fitting par ting statement: "I kind of came to be convinced, and now, I'm convinced." The 2018 CAB Camp attendees on the terrace of DAOU Vineyards & Winery. Karen Bennett, Wine Director, Café Med, Bakersfield, CA Renata Brunetto, Manager, Mona Lisa Italian Foods, San Diego, CA Oscar Chinchilla, Beverage Manager and Wine Director, Montage Beverly Hills Ali Coyle, Wine Director, Wineworks for Everyone, Mission Viejo, CA Kristin Culotta, Director of Food & Beverage, The Avalon Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA Sarah DeRosa, Wine Director/Beverage Manager, Paradise Valley Country Club, Phoenix, AZ David Goodwin, Store Manager/Wine Buyer, The Wine Club, San Francisco, CA Oliver Kohns, Wine Department Manager, Draeger's Market, San Mateo, CA Ivan Lucas, General Manager, The Craftsman Tavern, Escondido, CA Travis Montano, General Manager, Currant American Brasserie, San Diego, CA David Neil, Director of Food & Beverage, Seven Oaks Country Club, Bakersfield, CA Nemanja Pejcic, Wine Buyer/Sommelier, Il Palio Restaurant, San Diego, CA Rick Perrault, Buyer, The Marine Room, La Jolla, CA Rich Sabatowski, General Manager, Cohn Restaurant Group, San Diego, CA Frank Schneider, General Manager, Bourbon & Bones, Scottsdale, AZ Katie Stephens, General Manager/Co-Owner, Beckett's Table and Southern Rail, Phoenix, AZ Scott Stephens, Managing Partner, Southern Rail, Phoenix, AZ Jiaqi Tang, Director of Outlets, Hotel Casa del Mar, Santa Monica, CA Laurie Wray, Sommelier, Sanctuary Resort & Spa, Paradise Valley, AZ Steve Ark, Wine Buyer, Seaside Market, Cardiff, CA Allison Clary Alexander, Wine Director, The Capital Grille, Phoenix, AZ David Derby, Wine Buyer, JJ Buckley Fine Wines, Oakland, CA Darren English, Associate Buyer–California Wines, Wine.com Jennifer Fulgaro-Polo, Sommelier, City Winery, Chicago, IL Nate Grover, Director of Bar and Beverage, DineEquity, Glendale, CA Wendy Heilmann, Director of Wine & Spirits, Pebble Beach Resorts, Pebble Beach, CA Chris James, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Austin, TX Julie Kalicki, The Saltner, Monrovia, CA Hali Mayberry, Marketing Manager/Sales, Imbibe Wine & Spirits Merchant, Bakersfield, CA Wednesday Nowak, Orange Sky at Talking Stick Resort, Scottsdale, AZ Rafael Peterson, Wine Director, Born & Raised Steakhouse, San Diego, CA Kate Seiberlich, Co-Founder, Taste It Wines, Los Angeles, CA Tyson Torres, General Manager, Avant at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, CA Stacey Urbin, Managing Partner, The Capital Grille, Costa Mesa, CA Aaron Wesley, Assistant General Manager, Ocean Prime Beverly Hills From left to right: Amanda Gorter, Assistant Winemaker, Robert Hall Winery; Christian Tietje, Winemaker, Rotta Winery; Tyson Torres, General Manager, Avant at the Rancho Bernardo Inn; Mike Sinor, Winemaker, Ancient Peaks Winery; Kevin Sass, Winemaker, Halter Ranch Vineyard; Maeve Pesquera, Senior Vice President, DOAU Vineyards & Winery; and Michael Mooney, Winemaker/Co-Owner, Chateau Margene. Introducing This Year's CAB Camp Attendees