master sommelier

This episode features an interview with David Duncan, Owner & CEO of Silver Oak Cellars and Andrea Robinson, Master Sommelier. In this episode, they talk about cultivating traditions, meeting guests in the moment, and being the ambassador to a joyful experience.

Quotes

*“My favorite wine descriptor is trust. What we focus on with our entire team is a consistent experience and a great bottle of wine that people can come back to and enjoy again and again.” - David Duncan

*“I'm in service to the customer who's buying the wine and investing in spending their time in my presence, creating that moment, reading what their needs are. But I’m also in service to the wineries and winemakers. They are the artisans. They are the preservers of open space and agricultural land and tradition.” - Andrea Robinson

Time Stamps

*[7:15] Creating a moment for the customer

*[8:55] Aligning employees to provide a great CX

*[14:05] How sustainability as part of CX pays off

*[20:22] Encouraging customers to expand their horizons

*[22:01] Pivoting with changing tastes

*[27.45] Offering diversity initiatives

*[30:11] How the pandemic has changed customer interactions

*[36:16] Measuring customer satisfaction

Bio

David owns four brands: Silver Oak Cellars, Twomey Cellars, OVID Napa Valley and Timeless Napa Valley. Silver Oak’s new winery in the Alexander Valley is first in the world to achieve net positive energy, net positive water status and earn LEED (Leader in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification.

Andrea is one of only 28 women in the world to hold the title of Master Sommelier. She’s a best-selling author, holds 3 James Beard awards and developed a game-changing line of stemware called The ONE.

Thank you to our friends

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Links:

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Check out Andrea’s Website

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn

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Sommeliers. SO MANY QUESTIONS! What even IS a sommelier - or a Master Sommelier? What makes a great sommelier? How have sommeliers been affected by the pandemic, when hospitality has been devastated? What's all this about the lack of diversity among sommeliers? What of the very serious scandals that have played out in very public and traumatic fashion at the Court of Master Sommeliers-Americas lately?! 

Ultimately: what does the future hold for sommeliers, this proud and historic profession that has really been through the wringer of late? 

We ask these questions (and many more) of a star line-up of guests:

• Emily Wines MS, Chair of the Board of the Court of Master Sommeliers-Americas
• Audrey Annoh-Antwi, sommelier and front of house at Lorne restaurant in London and Be Inclusive Hospitality ambassador
• Jason Wise, director of the Somm movies and founder of Somm TV

And we get...some hard-hitting, thought-provoking and fascinating answers, which we discuss amongst ourselves while also recommending wines from Help4Hospitality AND offering you a fun prize giveaway. If sommeliers are all about hospitality - then this podcast is the same.
 
Dedicated to the memory of two fine sommeliers, and fine friends: Terry Threlfall and Gerard Basset. 

Last week, we talked with Master Somm Larry O' Brien on the Cork & Taylor Wine Podcast. Whenever Larry and I get together it is never short and sweet so here is Part II of a very interesting and in depth interview with a Master Sommelier. Raw and uncut plus very interesting!

Thanks to the Allen Thomas Group for sponsoring the Cork & Taylor Wine Podcast. Great people who will always do right by their customers while offering the best insurance products. Contact them at 440.826.3676 or by email at  info@atgins.com

Master Sommelier, Larry O' Brien,  joins us in the Cork & Taylor Studio for Part 1 of a two part episode. Larry is the face and body of Kendall Jackson Winery or as his business card states National Brand Ambassador. Ohio's only Master Somm, we discuss what Larry will be drinking for Thanksgiving and also Christmas amongst other things. Larry is always one of my favorite guests and always entertaining to say the least.

Thank you to the Allen Thomas Group for sponsoring the Cork & Taylor Wine Podcast as they are great people and an awesome insurance group!

We speak to sommelier and importer Jane Lopes who, along with her husband,  Jonathan Ross have donated a Ruth Bader Ginsburg lot to the Vines 4 Votes online wine auction. This was in honor of the wine and cheese tasting they held for the late Supreme Court Justice’s 83rd birthday in March of 2016.  Jane shares how RBG inspires her to fight for justice and equality.

Vines4Votes is an online wine auction from October 12 to 16, 2020.  All proceeds are donated to the ACLU of Texas and earmarked for their vote against voter suppression.

https://www.legendaustralia.com/

Instagram: @vines4votes

Larry O' Brien - Master Sommelier/Brand Ambassador, Jackson Family Wines join us in studio on the Cork & Taylor Wine Podcast. We talked Cougars who adore him, Jackson Family Wines, the band Rush and a whole lot more. First Master Somm on the C&T Podcast and hopefully not the last!

Check out our patreon site for some bonus content from Larry and other past guests!

https://www.patreon.com/corkandtaylor 

On this episode of DC Entrepreneur​, George speaks to Francesco Amodeo the owner and president of Don Ciccio & Figli​ on location at his distillery in Ivy City. The establishment, which features both a production facility and tasting bar, is bringing amari-based craft cocktails to DC based on recipes from Amodeo's family from the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Amaro drinks are bitter herbal liquers commonly consumed as digestifs.

From Don Ciccio's website: Francesco ‘Ciccio’ Amodeo began his journey in the hospitality industry as a young boy growing up in the small town of Furore, Italy, a quaint, tight-knit hamlet of just over 800 residents. With an extended family supplying the town with its most celebrated chefs, winemakers, and artisanal liqueur makers, Amodeo became an epicure at a young age, and began his life-long love affair with hospitality. 

Deciding to follow in his family’s footsteps, Amodeo got his first job at the age of 14, working under the mentorship of Marisa Cuomo, one of Italy’s most respected winemakers. He continued his apprenticeship at his uncle's restaurant in Positano. Uncle Amodeo soon pulled young Francesco behind the cocktail bar, and in that moment, an Amalfi Coast alchemist was born. He had found his true calling in hospitality, and Francesco continued his tutelage at the town’s only resort. At Furore Inn Resort young Amodeo came of age, and received many specialized certifications of his expertise. 

In 2004, he became a Master of Food and Beverage Management, but not before his certification as a Master Sommelier for the A.I.S. of Napoli, Italy. He is a Master Barman through the A.I.B.E.S. of Salerno too. In the spirit of adventure, Francesco travelled to Washington D.C. in 2005. Seeing its potential as an epicurean capital, he decided to return in February 2006 to make D.C. his home. 

Francesco became prominent in the evolving hospitality scene, lending his expertise to notable establishments including Butterfield 9, Hook, Café Milano, and Bibiana Osteria Enoteca. But there was something else stirring in his blood. Francesco began to research and experiment with handcrafted liqueurs in his free time. With over a century of family history in the business, at the age of 29, Francesco started Don Ciccio & Figli. His vision: to bring the signature flavors of his hometown back to life, and share the artisanal ‘Rosoli’ with the world.

Jordan Salcito is the Founder and CEO of DRINK RAMONA, an organic canned wine spritz with a cult-like following. On this episode of In the Sauce, Jordan and Ali talk about recreating a category, making a product that is both quality and accessible and creating a brand that people love.

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On today's episode of All in the Industry®, host Shari Bayer's guest is Pascaline Lepeltier, Master Sommelier and Managing Partner at Racines NY. Detouring from a master’s in philosophy and a career as a university teacher, Pascaline began her obsession with wine at the two star Michelin-rated L’Auberge Bretonne under celebrated Chef Jacques Thorel. Within a year,she was named both Best Loire Valley Young Sommelier and Best Brittany Sommelier. Pascaline has continued to earn accolades, including being named one of the five best new US sommeliers of 2011 by Wine & Spirits, one of the “New Wine Prophets” by Time Out NY, one of the “40 under 40” beverage influencers by Wine Enthusiast, and called the “Natural Wine Evangelist” by Ray Isle in Food & Wine. The NY Times awarded her Rouge Tomate wine list as one of the best in NYC in 2013, and The World of Fine Wine awarded it “Best Long Wine List in the World 2017” and “Wine List of the Year 2017.” She most recently won the Meilleur Ouvriers de France (Best Craftsmen of France) competition in the sommelier category last month. She was the only woman nominated. And the first woman ever to become one of the “M.O.F” in the sommelier category; and Best Sommelier de France at the Union de la Sommellerie, cumulating the top two French awards in her field. Today's show also features Shari's PR tip, Speed Round, Industry News discussion, and Solo Dining experience at The 8 Restaurant, the first and only Chinese restaurant in Macau, China awarded three Michelin stars for six consecutive years. Listen at Heritage Radio Network; subscribe/rate/review our show at iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. Follow us @allindustry. Thanks for being a part of All in the Industry®!

Photo Credit Mike Rush

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This week In The Drink welcomes Master Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier. Pascaline grew up in the Loire Valley, so it almost seems like her career as a wine expert (and wine lover) was predestined. After moving to New York to be the Beverage Director of Rouge Tomate, Pascaline quickly made a name for herself in the wine world. In 2017 The World of Fine Wine named her list at Rouge Tomate the “Best Long Wine List in the World 2017” and “Wine List of the Year 2017.” Now she is a managing partner at Racines NY in Tribeca.

Joe talks to Pascaline about what it’s like to be one of the world’s best sommeliers.

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Elyse Lambert MS is one of the most respected female sommeliers in the world. Based in Montreal, Quebec, she earned the title of Master Sommelier in 2015. Elyse has her own radio program on Radio Canada, winner of numerous sommelier competitions across the world and is a featured columnist in various wine publications. There’s certainly no slowing down for her.
In this podcast we speak with Elyse about her path to success, the power or grit and the importance of mentorship. We also discuss what it takes to make an award winning wine lists, what she thinks about natural wine and her favorite Canadian wine!

If you've seen the movie Somm, then we've all whitnessed the hardship and intensive studies one has to go through to be crowned a Master Sommelier. It took Elyse six years to pass the MS exams but determination got her past hurdles and finally passing the exams. In an inspiring conversation we find out what to look for in a mentor and what it really takes to succeed as an MS.

For more information visit: http://elyselambert.com/

This week on Food Talk with Mike Colameco, Mike is joined in the studio by Fred Dex, one of only 210 Master Sommeliers in the world, and the only one holding that honor in the Carolinas. Fred spent fifteen years in New York City working in some the the top gastronomic and wine savvy temples in the city. In 2013, Fred relocated with his family to the Triangle, a region in the Piedmont of North Carolina, to continue building his consulting business around the region’s burgeoning food and wine scene.

On a brand new episode of Food Talk with Mike Colameco, we first dial up Dave Sweet, Chicago-based director of the Whisky Live events that promote the drink around North America.

After the break, Mike is joined in the studio by Pascaline Lepeltier and Andy Bennett – master sommelier and executive chef, respectively – of Rouge Tomate in Chelsea.

This week on In the Drink, host Joe Campanale is joined in the studio by Larry Stone, one of the nation’s most renowned sommeliers and wine educators, and the first American to win the prestigious Sopexa Best International Sommelier in French Wines in Paris. Larry has served as a Trustee of the James Beard Foundation and on the Board of the Court of Master Sommeliers. He also makes his own Wilamette Valley wines under the “Lingua Franca” label.

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon and Sother are joined by Master Sommelier Laura Maniec of Corkbuzz Wine Studio, which she opened in New York City's Union Square neighborhood with her business partner Frank Vafier in 2011. Corkbuzz locations are part wine bar, part wine school, all wrapped up in a cool, casual studio designed to feel like a living room. Maniec created the wine program to bring casual and professional wine drinkers together in one space with approachable yet comprehensive classes.

And since New Year's Eve is right around the corner, Laura has brought some bubbles into the studio to celebrate!

Wine Director and Master Sommelier Michaël Engelmann joined The Modern in 2014, having previously held the role of Wine Director at the Grand Award-winning Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney, Australia. Michaël's accolades include “Best Sommelier in America” from the American Sommelier Association (2009), and being voted one of five “Best New Sommeliers” by Wine & Spirits Magazine (2009). In the same year, he passed the Advanced Sommelier Exam of the Court of Master Sommeliers, earning the Rudd Scholarship for his high score. In 2011, Michaël passed the Master Sommelier exam and was awarded the Krug Cup for passing all three parts on his first attempt; he is one of only 14 individuals in the history of the Court to have done so.