Texsom 2012 “Be There or Be Square”: August 11-13, 2012

Texsom 2012  “Be There or Be Square”: August 11-13, 2012

You may remember the line “Be there, or be square” from The Wiz, the modern-day version of the Wizard of Oz. Well, this line could not be more appropriate for the up coming Texas Sommelier Conference – TEXSOM 2012. It will be held August 11-13, 2012, at the Four Seasons Resort and Club at Las Colinas, Texas. Yes, this is something special: the Country’s preeminent wine conference right here in Texas!

Since its inception in 2005, the TEXSOM Sommelier Conference has attracted more than 2,200 wine professionals from across the United States, and more than 160 Texas Sommeliers have competed for the coveted title, Texas’ Best Sommelier. The speakers and judges constitute a “who’s who” list of the nation’s top wine professionals: Master Sommeliers (MS), Certified Wine Educators (CWE), Masters of Wine (MW) and other highly respected wine educators. In addition, the conference has grown immensely since 2005; a few statistics are listed below

• The 2011 conference featured the largest contingent of Master Sommeliers at a public event worldwide (more than 25). Four Master Sommeliers attended the first TEXSOM in 2005.
• The 2011 conference seminars and Grand Tasting consumer event were sold out with more than 400 attendees. Approximately 100 people attended in 2005.
• Seven years ago there was one Master Sommelier in Texas, and now there are seven: Guy Stout, Barbara Werley, Drew Hendricks, James Tidwell, Devon Broglie, Craig Collins and Melissa Monosoff.

Wine professionals and interested aficionados, this is an opportunity to come join in the action: taste, meet, discuss, learn, and have fun, too.

Saturday, August 11 – Pre-conference tasting and social media boot camp

(9:00am to 3:00pm): Click here for details.

Sunday, August 12 – Educational seminars & tastings on international & contemporary issues

9:00am to 5:00pm (Click here for details):

• Bordeaux—led by Wayne Belding MS and Brett Zimmerman MS
• Texas Terroir—led by Guy Stout MS and Christy Canterbury MW
• Riesling—led by Tim Gaiser MS, Laura Williamson MS, Paul Grieco and Keith Goldston MS
• Oregon—led by Nate Ready, MS
• Beer—led by Melissa Monosoff MS and Brian Cronin MS

Monday, August 13 – Educational seminars & tastings on international & contemporary issues

9:00am to 5:00pm (Click here for details):

• State of the Industry—led by Moderator James Tidwell MS and panel members: Drew Hendricks MS, Paul Wagner, Rajat Parr, John Ragan, Rick Bakas
• New Zealand: Trends for the Future—led by Cameron Douglas MS and Andrew McNamara MS
• Niagara Peninsula—led by John Szabo MS and Geoff Kruth MS
• Cabernet Franc—led by Laura DePasquale MS, Jay Fletcher MS and Peter Neptune MS
• Winery Retrospective: Leonetti Cellar—led by Chris Figgins and Greg Harrington MS
• Grand Tasting and Awards Reception

More information on Accommodations, Texas’ Best Sommelier Competition, Speakers, Sponsors, and Sponsorship Opportunities are available at: http://texsom.com. Follow the Texsom discussion on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/texsom or on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TexSom/126772574083415

Twitter News from Texsom 2012 (Tuesday AM, May 29, 2012)

RT @TEXSOM: Get your share of $5K in scholarships. Apply for the Texas’ Best Sommelier competition –  Closes Jun 1 (This Friday)  http://t.co/po3Jzu7D

RT @akashicvineyard: @ccollinsms @MattMcGinnis @TEXSOM @pedernaleswine @caprockwinery @junctionwine Thanks, we are really happy to be attending.

RT @MattMcGinnis: Looking forward to lots of #TXWine at @TEXSOM!

RT @TEXSOM: Always good to welcome back @hopefamilywines @vineyard_brands @ZDwines & many more! #TEXSOM, #Grandtasting, http://t.co/pYzJJi6M. Register!

RT @TEXSOM: We can’t have a Niagara Peninsula seminar without the Wine Council of Ontario! They’ll be there! #TEXSOM #Grandtasting http://t.co/pYzJJi6M

RT @TEXSOM: Can’t wait!! RT @AristaWinery We’re excited to host a lunch this year @TEXSOM. Looking forward to seeing so many of our industry friends!

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The TEXSOM Mission:

To promote professional wine service standards, outline paths for further wine education and certification, and raise public awareness with respect to the professional standards and certifications for sommeliers.

How TEXSOM Started:

TEXSOM Conference and the Texas’ Best Sommelier Competition were founded by James Tidwell MS, CWE, Beverage Manager at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in La Colinas; Drew Hendricks MS, CWE, Director of Beverage Education for Pappas Restaurants in Houston; and Guy Stout MS, CWE, with Glazer’s Distributors.