I spent some time in Singapore this past month during my ten-day trip to Asia. One of the most important multicultural spots in the world, it was wonderful to be back. The interest in wine in Southeast Asia is explosive and indeed the core reason for this visit was to hold the second annual master sommelier introductory course (as well as a certified sommelier exam for about three dozen candidates who took the level one course last year).

As a board member of the Court of Master Sommeliers driving the international expansion outside of USA and Europe, I have been fortunate enough to teach students from all over as the Court of Master Sommeliers ventures into the Pacific Rim. In addition to Singapore, we are now in our third year in New Zealand, launching Melbourne and Sydney in Australia and will be kicking off Hong Kong in 2009. All very exciting as the world of wine becomes more passionate and more global. Continue reading »

Earlier this month, I got back from a ten-day visit to Asia. I started in Seoul, South Korea, where I was the American judge in the 2008 Korea Wine Challenge. It was a fascinating experience as Korea’s Wine Review magazine hosts its 4th annual international wine competition.

As Jeong Eun Choi, my friend and editor of the wine review puts it, “who would have thought when we began this tasting event a few years ago that it would so quickly become as important to the Korean market as it has. ” And she’s right. I was there just for the finals and there were well in excess of 900 wines from 13 different countries (from the typical France, Italy, USA and Australia to the more obscure Lebanon, Japan, Korea and Uruguay). It was a very formidable showing.
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So here it is… my very first post. Even though wine blogging is becoming increasingly popular and there is even a second annual American Wine Blog Awards, this is my first attempt to host a blog. Late to the party? Maybe. But excited about the opportunity to share my thoughts about wine, food pairings and the industry? Definitely!

I have been in the restaurant and wine industry for 26 years, with the last 18 years spent in the corporate wine world. After living through two mergers and acquisitions and about to go through a third (Seagram-Diageo, allied Domecq-Jim Beam, Beam wines-Constellation), it just felt like the right time has come for me to branch out on my own. At some point, doing the same job in different corporate environments, the professional equivalent of re-seasoning and re-heating the same pot of soup, just doesn’t seem as exciting as going the more entrepreneurial route!
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