The following article by Houston Chronicle wine writer Dale Robertson appeared in the January 16 edition of the paper.
“New Houston sommelier competition seeks to help further wine education studies.”
Dale Robertson
Houston Chronicle
We’ve got a whole bunch of awesome sommeliers in Houston. In fact, there’s even an informal wine study group called AweSOMM.
The participants, all in the retail or restaurant wine trade and trying to achieve their formal sommelier certifications, have in the past couple of years volunteered at the Taste of Italy Houston event sponsored by the Italy-American Chamber of Commerce. But AweSOMM’s driving force, Jaime DeLeon, decided to add a little drama to the 2019 event, Feb. 25, at the Hilton Post Oak, by launching the Houston’s Best Sommelier competition. Emphasis on “Houston’s.”
“A local event for locals only,” said DeLeon, the adult-beverages sales manager for Kroger’s Houston division.
A $1,200 first prize, to be applied toward future wine-education studies, is at stake. Two runners-up will receive $300 for the same. The field will be limited to the first 20 who apply (awesommhouston.com) and modeled on the Court of Master Sommeliers certification protocols, although DeLeon makes it clear there is no affiliation with CMS. Also, previous participation in AweSOMM sessions is not a requirement…
Click here to continue reading.
Click here to register for Taste of Italy 2019, Monday, February 25, 2019 at the Hilton Post Oak.
Click here to apply for the AweSomm “Best Sommelier in Houston” competition.