After four days of voting we finally have our Winner of the 2011 Wine Ride, June Rodil of Congress Austin! With this honor June has now secured a spot to compete against two other sommeliers (to be determined) in Somms Under Fire in early May 2011 for the chance to win an amazing grand prize package including a trip to San Francisco and an internship in Burgundy, France from Selection Becky Wasserman. The dreary weather couldn’t stop June’s enthusiasm from selecting her perfect pairings. June was even able to name an overall Best Pairing of the Day, which included the Chestnut Soup with Fried Peanuts at Foreign & Domestic paired with the 2007 Domaine Michel LaFarge Bourgogne Aligote Raisin Dores. While all Somms showed incredible talent and educated the audience with enlightening food and wine pairing tidbits, June took the cake among voters as the most educational Somm of the Wine Ride with her secret weapon, “Jazz Hands”. “I learned that you should listen to your senses and take a human approach when pairing food and wine…have fun and explore,” said one observer. To see a recap of some of June’s pairing skills and to see her “Jazz Hands” in action, watch the videos posted below.
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