This will be the most comprehensive wine and food seminar in Virginia that will offer a variety of ideas on what is trending in the national as well as local wine and food scene.
The Richmond Marriot will host the day long seminars, which includes lunch and ends with a wine reception. For special room rate up to two nights, make your reservation through this link.
Governor & Mrs. McDonnell are proud to host the inaugural Virginia Wine Summit bringing together wine and food professionals to explore Virginia wines and culinary offerings.
British-born Steven Spurrier joined the wine trade in London in 1964. He moved to Paris in 1970 where he purchased a small wine shop and in early 1973 created L’Academie du Vin, the first independent wine school in France. For the next fifteen years he was deeply involved in the French wine business and in 1988, named “La Personnalite de l’Annee" (Oenology) for his contributions to French wines. That year he returned to the UK as an international wine consultant and wine writer, authoring several books on wine since.
Only the third recipient of the “Le Grand Prix de l’Academie Internationale du Vin since 1982 - he created and manages the Christie’s Wine Course and is Consultant Editor for Decanter Magazine and President of the Circle of Wine Writers. A renowned international palate, he has Chaired the Decanter World Wine Awards, the world’s largest wine competition, for 7 years.
Diane grows heirloom apples and makes hard cider in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. Located in Southwest Virginia near Galax, VA, Foggy Ridge Cider grows over 30 varieties of heirloom apples. Diane Flynt has played a leadership role in promoting Virginia wine and is active in national cider initiatives. She is a member of the governor-appointed Virginia Wine Board and speaks on cider, and cider and food pairings in national and regional forums. Foggy Ridge Cider’s orchards were planted in 1998, and the winery was founded in 2004 as the first Virginia farm winery to produce only hard cider.
Bartholomew Broadbent was named one of the “fifty most influential in the wine world" by Decanter magazine in 1997. In 2008, Wine&Spirits Magazine named him one of the ten “driving the most revolutionary changes in wine”. Broadbent makes Port, Madeira and Vinho Verde in Portugal under the Broadbent name, as well as Malbec in Argentina and Gruner Veltliner in Austria. Broadbent currently imports wine under Broadbent Selections, Inc.
Jay Youmans has been tasting wine professionally for nearly 30 years. He is the Educational Director and owner of the Capital Wine School, and the owner of Rock Creek Wine Merchants, a sales and marketing consultancy. Jay has served as a wine judge for numerous wine competitions, and has contributed to several books and magazines on wine. Over the years, he has conducted hundreds of public, private, and corporate wine tasting events. Jay is an Advanced Level Sommelier, a Certified Wine Educator (CWE), and Washington, DC's only Master of Wine (MW).
Jennifer Knowles studied chemistry at Syracuse University before moving to California and gaining a foothold in the in the retail beverage industry. Knowles was named the New World Rising Star Sommelier by StarChefs for her work at Rubicon in San Francisco before eventually finding herself on the east coast. Knowles has worked in several positions within the industry and is currently the Wine Director for The Inn at Little Washington.
Dave McIntyre has been a wine columnist and food blogger for The Washington Post since October 2008. Prior to writing for the Post, McIntyre started Dave McIntyre’s WineLine, an email newsletter in 1999 and is the co-creator of DrinkLocalWine.com. McIntyre's writing has also appeared in Wine Enthusiast, the San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian and several other publications
Kendra Feather owns 3 restaurants in Richmond, Virginia, and has a bakery in the works. Feather opened Ipanema Cafe in 1998. Garnett’s Cafe followed in 2009, and The Roosevelt (with chef Lee Gregory) in 2011. WPA Bakery is slated for November 2012. Virginia wine is a significant part of the list at all three restaurants, and The Roosevelt offers only Virginia wines (with 33 wines from 17 Virginia wineries).
Anthony Giglio is one of the most entertaining wine and spirits authorities on the planet. He is a journalist, sommelier, educator, author and raconteur who has written several books, including three editions of the annual FOOD & WINE Wine Guide review of 1,000+ wines; five editions of the enormously popular Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide, and his highly-regarded first book,Cocktails in New York. Giglio is the longtime “Online Sommelier” for the FOOD & WINEMagazine’s Connoisseur Club, as well as for Departures Magazine’s Reserve Wine Club. Giglio has written for numerous publications, including Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, New York,Esquire, Details, Robb Report, Worth, Every Day with Rachael Ray and Parade. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, The Food Network, CNBC, and FOX Business News.
A Yale graduate, Liz Thorpe left a “normal” job in 2002 to follow her passion for cheese at New York’s Murray’s Cheese, where she became the company's first Vice President. She co-authored The Murray’s Cheese Handbook and wrote The Cheese Chronicles, a celebrated book about her professional travels and the growth of the American artisan cheese industry.
Liz is sought by publications as diverse as The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, and Supermarket News for her opinions and perspective on the American food scene.
She is now pursuing her next adventure and has started The People's Cheese, a consulting company working with producers, suppliers and retailers in the specialty food business.
Kathy Morgan is an award winning sommelier and wine director. She has offered her expertise and experience to many of the world’s leading wine publications as a taster, commentator, contributor and panelist. Morgan's credits include The Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, The Washington Times, Sommelier Journal, Food and Wine Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, and Flavor Magazine. Kathy Morgan is the 105th Master Sommelier in the United States.
Neal Wavra is a certified member of the Court of Master Sommeliers. He is the recipient of the Commanderie de Bordeaux Wine Scholarship and the Kopf Foundation Wine Excellence Scholarship.
After trying his French, Commercial Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution degrees on a position at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, he discovered a passion for food. His interest in how food was produced and the joys associated with both knowing from whom and from where ones food comes prompted Neal to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America’s culinary program. Through travels of the great wine producing regions of the United States and Europe, Wavra developed a deep appreciation of the synergy that exists when wines of place are paired with an equally thoughtful cuisine.
He heavily relied on fine dining experience learned at Chicago's Charlie Trotters when crafting the now renowned farm-to-table culinary program and dining experience offered at Tennessee's Blackberry Farm. He met his now wife, and the two move to Virginia where they now operate the Ashby Inn & Restaurant.
Jennifer Breaux Blosser is the Director of Sales and Hospitality for Breaux Vineyards located in Loudoun County, Virginia. Growing up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a popular vacation destination, lead to her lifelong passion for hospitality and tourism. She spent the 16 years prior to joining the Virginia wine industry working in fine dining restaurants honing her palate for quality wine, the foods they pair with, and the role they play in hospitality, sales, and marketing.
In 2005 she took over day to day operations at Breaux Vineyards from her father, Paul Breaux. Since then she has established herself as an industry expert in social media and entrepreneurship, most notably demonstrated by appearances on industry specific online marketing panels, and a very ambitious winery expansion currently underway.
She and her husband Chris, a director on the Virginia Wine Board, live on the vineyard property with their 3 children as the second generation to run the family winery, which is proudly touted by the Breaux clan as 100% Cajun owned and operated.
Luca Paschina is the general manager and winemaker at Barboursville Vineyards. He is a third generation winemaker, from Piedmont Italy who studied enology at Istituto Umberto Primo in Alba, Italy. Asked by Gianni Zonin to study his winery operations in a year’s consultancy at Barboursville in 1990, he returned to Zonin’s headquarters north of Venice with an irresistibly audacious suggestion - if you will systematically re-invest in ideal trellising systems and techniques for this terroir, you will have the finest wines that can be grown on the East Coast. When he arrived at Barboursville in 1990, the winery had 38 acres under vine. Since that time, it has expanded to over 160 planted with vines as well as an inn and 5 star restaurant on the property. Luca is a member of the Governor-appointed Virginia Wine Board. His wines have won accolades in competitions in San Francisco, New York, Dallas, London and more. Luca enjoys cooking, hiking, fishing , raising family with his wife and making wine in his new home, Virginia.
Determined on a career in wine making Emily completed a Masters in Enology at Virginia Tech with Bruce Zoeklein. The winemaker at Veritas Winery (annual production of 10,000 cases per year) in Afton Virginia; Emily puts the quality of wine above everything constantly working on characterizing the terroir of the vineyard in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Stephen started in the wine industry at Groot Constantia Winery, the oldest winery in South Africa, as a pourer and tour guide – eventually becoming the assistant winemaker there. He studied Enology and Viticulture at Elsenburg Agricultural College. He gained extensive knowledge working exclusively with reds at Flagstone Winery, before an internship brought him to Virginia. Since joining Keswick Vineyards in 2006 as Winemaker and General Manager, Stephen has helped Keswick extend its international recognition and success, especially for its Viognier, recently earning a Virginia highest rated 88 points by Wine Spectator.
Jennifer Lynn McCloud is the owner of Chrysalis Vineyards with over 60 acres of grapes under vine. She has the largest vineyard planting of Norton in the world. Her stated goal is “To proudly restore Virginia wines to world renown, and celebrate the homecoming of Norton, The Real American Grape! Jenni has already successfully established three hi-tech companies and built each to multi-million dollar sales status. In 1987, she was recognized as a national "Top 100 Young Entrepreneur” by the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs, and was honored as a semi-finalist in the 1987 Chivas Regal Young Entrepreneur Awards. The first Chrysalis Vineyards labeled wine was her 1997 Viognier, made in association with winemaker Alan Kinne. Her Viognier and Norton has win numerous national awards.
Jason Tesauro dedicates himself to wine, words and the pursuit of refined cool. By day, he’s served as Chief Sommelier at Barboursville Vineyards since 2002 spreading the word of Virginia vino and local bounty. By night, Tesauro coauthored with Phineas Mollod The MODERN GENTLEMAN: A Guide to Essential Manners, Savvy & Vice (2002), The MODERN LOVER: A Playbook for Suitors, Spouses & Ringless Carousers (2004), and The MODERN GENTLEMAN Second Edition (2011). His books have been translated into Spanish and Russian and sold over 100,000 copies. As contributor to The New York Times and Sommelier Journal, he's also an award-winning wine journalist and his lifestyle columns have appeared in Men’s Health, Maxim, The Sunday Paper (Atlanta) and Richmond magazine. When he isn't in Virginia with his wife and four children, you can find him leading the gent renaissance as guest expert on the TBS show Trends With Benefits.
Emily Pelton’s background is in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology as well as Infectious Diseases, so she fit well into the wine world. She happily moved to Virginia in 1999 in order to work alongside her parents in the development of Veritas Vineyard and Winery. After completing her Masters in Oenology at Virginia Tech, Emily joined the family venture full-time. Focusing primarily on allowing the Virginia terroir to show through in her wines Emily is emphatic about being true to the grape. Elevated by a strong family business Emily has grown up making wine solely for Veritas Vineyard and Winery. Outside of wine she has an extensive orchid collection, and two beautiful girls.
Matthieu Finot was born in Crozes Hermitage in the Rhone Valley. From a family of viticulturists and wine lovers, Matthieu was predisposed to continue his family's pursuit of winemaking and enjoying. He first studied viticulture and oenology at Beaune, in the heart of Burgundy. After successfully receiving his advanced BTS degree, Matthieu worked in many different wine regions around France including Rhone Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Provence, and Jura. Matthieu then wanted to gain world-wide experience. He worked in Italy and South Africa before settling in Virginia. Since arriving in 2003, Matthieu has worked with wineries throughout the state. He enjoys working in the Monticello Appellation most because he likes being close to Charlottesville, and the excitement of the regions growth. He also teaches classes on winemaking and taste analysis at Piedmont Virginia Community College.
Charlie Berg is the managing the portfolio for C'est Vin Wine Importers, and a manager with Michael Mina Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons in Georgetown. While going to college and later travelling, he earned his way working in fine dining restaurants; later working at the Troutdale Dining Room in Bristol, Virginia where he became head sommelier and later wine director. During this period Charlie also attained his level 1 and level 2 degrees with the Court of Master Sommeliers at the age of 25. Charlie later became sommelier and wine director at Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia and there created a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence wine list (with special mention for creativity and affordability), and attain the Advanced Sommelier degree with the Court of Master Sommeliers. Charlie is an alumnus of the French Culinary Institute's Restaurant Management Program in New York City, and currently resides in Washington, D.C.
Rutger de Vink is the founder of RdV Vineyards in Delaplane, VA. RdV is an internationally acclaimed winery that produces two Bordeaux-blends - Lost Mountain and Rendezvous - that Jancis Robinson, MW, said “Stand a good chance of putting the state [of Virginia] on the world wine map.”
Rob Newton is the chef behind Seersucker, a modern Southern restaurant in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. An Arkansas native, he worked in some of the city’s top kitchens and later as a private chef, first for a legendary TV icon then for an Upper East Side financier. At Sottha Khunn’s Le Cirque, he found himself surrounded by truffles, suckling pigs and caviar, a bit different from the humble home fare he grew up on. At Floyd Cardoz’s Tabla, the tandoori ovens, complex spice mixes and Danny Meyer hospitality gospel proved to be a revelation. He also worked as executive chef at the Simon Pearce restaurant, a much-loved spot in Vermont. For years, Newton wanted a space where he could update the Southern staples of his youth. When he moved to Carroll Gardens, he spotted a location across from the weekly farmers market. It’s now the home of Seersucker, the first restaurant he can call his own. In 2011, he and his partner opened Smith Canteen, a coffee and baked goods spot down the block from Seersucker.
Matt Tunstall’s describes one of his earliest, most memorable moments as being the first time he opened a world-class wine. “I tasted it over a period of hours,” he notes. “As it opened, it became a different animal every time I tasted it. I was hooked.”
Now a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, the Memphis native originally earned his A.S. in culinary arts and hospitality management from San Francisco College, and it was while he was working in the city as a server that he truly realized this could be his career. Tunstall served time in San Francisco as a wine buyer for Jack Falstaff, general manager of Chef Elizabeth Falkner’s Orson Restaurant, and wine director of Shanghai 1930 before making his move to South Carolina.
Joining Husk in 2011, Tunstall brings enthusiasm in procuring wine and managing inventory, always on the hunt for exceptional vintages that pair well with Executive Chef Sean Brock’s cuisine and that will both be a surprise to the guest while also a comfortable fit for his or her meal.
Appointed as wine director and sommelier of Spiaggia, in Chicago, Michigan in early 2011, Jason Carlen, is a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. Under Carlen, Spiaggia’s wine list, awarded the “Best of Award of Excellence” by Wine Spectator, will continue to be a reference point for Italian wines in the U.S. With a selection of 700 bottles, the wine list represents the larger Italian wines regions of Toscano, Piemonte, as well as regions that are seeing a wine resurgence such as Sicilia, Alto Adige and Valle d’Aosta.
Prior to Spiaggia, Carlen spent four years as the sommelier at The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, an Auberge Resort, in Bluffton, S.C. It was there that Carlen gained an appreciation for sourcing smaller, family-run vineyards, often traveling to the destinations to meet the producers in which he was sourcing the wines. Carlen honed his skills from New York City to Santa Fe, N.M. in establishments such as: Gotham Bar and Grill; Geronimo Restaurant; and The Old House Restaurant at Eldorado Hotel and Spa.
As it happens, Grassroots is a great name for our wine company and embodies a lot of what we do. By and large, our portfolio is filled with farmer-produced wine, from our most expensive Grower Champagnes to our everyday house wines. If our wines are not estate produced, they are usually made by a former farmer or vineyard manager. Our bumper sticker motto is: “Farms, not Factories” or “Tractors, not Tankers”.
Our portfolio is filled with small, family-owned producers that over-deliver in value at every price point. Likewise, most of our customers are small, family-owned restaurants and stores who appreciate the value of supporting locally owned businesses and want to bring their customers the highest quality wines available.
Barbara Ensrud is a wine journalist, author and wine educator. Her syndicated weekly wine colunns for the New York Daily News appeared in major metropolitan newspapers across the country, from the Miami Herald to the San Jose Mercury News, and during her years in New York, she was a regular contributor to the Wall St. Journal. Her wine articles have also appeared in GQ, Vogue, Parade, Garden & Gun, Smart Money, Harper's Bazaar, The Wine Spectator, Decanter, Food & Wine, House & Garden, House Beautiful, Glamour, Gastronomica and numerous other publications. Since the fall of 2000 she has taught wine courses at Duke University and previously at the University of Mississippi in Oxford and in New York at L'Academie du Vin, The New School at CCNY; she was a regular guest lecturer Windows on the World. She has conducted panel tastings at the Aspen Wine & Food event, and judged in numerous wine competitions in the U.S. and Europe. She is a member of two elective professional organizations: The New York Wine Press and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She is a frequent speaker on the subject of wine.
Jean Case is an actively engaged philanthropist and investor; and a pioneer in the world of interactive technologies. Jean spent more than two decades as an executive in the private sector, where she led marketing and branding efforts for AOL, before she and her husband, Steve Case, created the Case Foundation in 1997. A 30-year Virginia resident, Jean believes strongly in the potential for the state to be amongst the world’s top wine regions. Jean and Steve opened Early Mountain Vineyards in 2012 to showcase their passion for the best wine and food that Virginia has to offer.
Blind tasting of Virginia wines along with wines from other wine regions to see the development of this evolving wine region.
Steven Spurrier (Decanter Magazine),
Bartholomew Broadbent (Broadbent Selections),
Jay Youmans (Capital Wine School)
& Anthony Giglio (Food & Wine Magazine, author).
Moderator Kathy Morgan (Master Sommelier)
Panelists Harry Root (Distributor),
Matt Tunstall (Sommelier, Husk Restaurant),
Jason Carlen (Sommelier, Spiaggia Restaurant)
Pioneers in the Locavore Movement share ideas for the future of "all things local".
Moderator Diane Flynt (Foggy Ridge Cider)
Panelists Barbara Ensrud (Wine Journalist, Educator), Dave McIntyre (Washington Post), Neal Warva (The Ashby Inn), Kendra Feather (The Roosevelt restaurant)
Moderator Jennifer Knowles (The Inn At Little Washington)
Panelists Jenn Blosser (Breaux Vineyards), Matthieu Finot (King Family Vineyards), Stephen Barnard (Keswick Vineyards)
Keynote Speaker Steven Spurrier (Decanter Magazine)
All participants will organize in teams to blend a Meritage style wine.
With Jason Tesauro (Barboursville Vineyards, Author).
Moderator Anthony Giglio (Food & Wine Magazine, author)
Panelist Liz Thorpe (Murray's Cheese, Author), Charlie Berg (Bourbon Steak), Rob Newton (Seersucker Restaurant)
Moderator Dave McIntyre (Washington Post)
Panelists Luca Paschina (winemaker), Jenni McCloud (winery owner), Rutger DeVink (winery owner), Emily Pelton (winemaker)
Sponsored by Best of Virginia
