TexSom Shows a True Picture of What the Wine Industry Is All About: Good Times, Good People, and Great Vino

This year, Wilson Daniels headed to TexSom, the premiere professional beverage education event in the country, to mingle with 1,200 wine aficionados, sommeliers, and more – AKA friends. Kicking off the few days of activities with our hospitality suite on Saturday night, registered guests got to sip and sample our portfolio, while networking and mingling and talking all things wine.

Guests also go the chance to talk to Nicole Rolet, owner and proprietor of Chêne Bleu, before playing our “guess the vintage” game with Arnaldo Caprai’s 25 Anni and a sagrantino trivia game (did you know sagrantino in its sweet wine form was originally enjoyed during Easter?). We can neither confirm nor deny that bottles were popped and spirits were high. (Okay, we can confirm both of those things.)

As the conference continued, panels and tastings led by esteemed speakers filled the days and mingling and, yes, drinking filled the nights. Complimentary tasting booths lined the halls and suites opened up their doors for even more tastings in the evening. Everything from Italian White Wines (which featured our winery producers Elvio Cogno and Villa Russiz) to New World Sparkling Wines (featuring Schramsberg) to Stylistic Comparisons from the Commonwealth (featuring Kumeau River) were taught, tasted, and examined. A personal favorite included “We Like Sweet Wines and We Cannot Lie,” a look at dessert wine methods and styles led by Brian Cornin MS and Andrew McNamara MS, who got the entertainment-to-educational balance just right.

TexSom is a unique gathering space for all members of the wine trade, from hospitality to media. And the attendees get the chance to interact in ways that they might not before. “TexSom is truly the premier wine industry conference,” says wine journalist and consultant Shana Clarke. “Nowhere else can you access such in-depth information taught by the highest-caliber professionals. I always come home feeling inspired and ready to take my career to the next level.”

At the end of the conference the grand tasting occurred, where The TexSom Best Sommelier Competition was also hosted, awarding the winner a $2,500 scholarship (and a $1,500 and $1,000 scholarship to second and third place, respectively) by the Guild of Sommeliers Education Foundation to be used for a Court of Master Sommeliers certification program. This year’s winner of the 26 participants was Kenneth Freeman, beverage manager at Sixty Vines Restaurant in Dallas.

In the end, it was an amazing couple of days geeking out over wine and learning from each other. Until next year, Dallas. We tip our (10-gallon) hats to you.

Samantha Leal, August 16, 2018
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August 16, 2018

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