9am - 10:15am “Talk Story on Blind Tasting”

Featuring legendary Master Sommeliers: Nunzio Alioto and Madeline Triffon

When speaking to a Master Sommelier exam candidate recently, we asked what kind of wine should be served for their upcoming blind tasting.He replied, “It should be solid, well made and true to type.” If this is true and “fair” for the exam, shouldn’t these also be the kind of wines we seek out for our wine lists?While wine tasting can be subjective, the question is how to determine, as professionals and wine buyers, what is “good” wine—good enough for a blind tasting and for our wine lists? We have asked three truly iconic Master Sommeliers to help lead us through a tasting of three wines and provide their insights into the selection process.Just to whet your appetite—Nunzio was the eighth person in America to pass the Master Sommelier exam; Madeline, the sixth. And yes, you will meet and hang out with these OGs!

10:30am - 12pm “Talk Story on Hospitality”

Featuring legendary Master Sommeliers: Nunzio Alioto and Madeline Triffon

We created this Master Sommelier roundtable in order to hear personal hospitality experiences from some of the best in the industry. We will also ask the audience to chime in with some of their own memorable hospitality experiences. Hospitality, after all, is one of the keys to excellent service, whether you work at a restaurant, winery or hotel. This is an essential panel for anyone interested in raising their hospitality game.  

1pm - 2:30pm “Wine & Food Workshop”

Featuring Randy Caparoso (Editor at Large, The SOMM Journal)

Pairing wine and food is undoubtedly an art. One of the big questions in the wine field is how do we provide insight on this art for sommeliers and wine professionals? For Wine Speak 2019, we featured a “Paso -paired” luncheon with color commentary from a local star chef, a journalist and Master Sommelier Fred Dame. To take the concept a step further, we created this workshop led by Randy Caparoso, editor at large of The SOMM Journal. Earlier in his career, Randy was one of the founding managing partners of Roy’s restaurants. This group was the epicenter of some of the most progressive and imaginative wine and food programs in the country, if not the world.  We therefore asked Randy to help lead us through this much needed workshop and share his insights, knowledge and expertise at this art.  He truly has a gift and he will inspire all those who attend.

TICKET PRICE: $150