It has indeed been a busy week in New Zealand with our Master Sommelier programs in both Wellington, the country’s capital, and Auckland, its largest city. The programs were rewarding and energetic and bode well for this nation’s evolution of the ‘métier’ of sommelerie. Tonight we are having dinner with NZ’s first and currently only Master Sommelier, Cameron Douglas, among others of the US team to review the courses, plan for the future and celebrate a week well done. Brian Julyan, the Court’s global CEO based out of the UK, and members of the ‘Team Australia’ contingent, coming off the successful courses in Melbourne and Sydney will join us and debrief the ‘Team NZ” on the results of those sessions. Should prove to be a great evening of shared success and camaraderie with great food and, of course, excellent NZ wines. Continue reading »

I have been in this business a long time. No old age jokes please, as I have heard them all - from “Pleistocene Sommelier” to “What wine goes with brontosaurus”. That said, I still get rookie-like giddiness when teaching people who are just beginning their quest.

A group of us have been down under for this past week to assist the Court of Master Sommeliers in expanding our “brand” into the Antipodes. We’ve just completed our first-ever course, in Melbourne and that group of MS’s (Team Aussie if you will) continues on to do same in Sydney. I am on “Team Kiwi”, and we are completing a session of level one (the Introductory program) and a “level two” certified in Wellington (NZ), before heading off to examine in Auckland. Continue reading »