2011 Wine Ride™

The Race is Over! And the Winners Are:

SOMM: June Rodil, Congress Austin

TEAM BLOG: Team Mark Sayre (Jennie Chen, MisoHungry; John Knox, John M.P. Knox Photography; Rachelle King, Blinded by the Bite)

2011 Wine Ride was full of good food, good wine, and good fun – not to mention lots of food & wine pairing education! Check out our next event, Somms Under Fire, coming May 2011!

From the people who brought you Chefs Under Fire™ 2010, Keeper® Collection is excited to announce the first 2011 Wine Ride™. This event will partner Texas Sommeliers, Bloggers, Photographers, and local Austin Restaurants and Artisans with Selection Becky Wasserman Wines & Champagnes for a fast-paced Race for the Perfect Pairing.

Fasten your seat belts…

It’s a food & wine pairing scramble!

2011 Wine Ride™ will begin & end at the Finish Line Location, Uchiko. The Somms will travel by car to select locations (such as Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, Foreign & Domestic, Central Market Cooking School, & FINO) where he or she will assign their “perfect pairing” with the secret Becky Wasserman Selection Wines and food items, which will be presented upon arrival. Each Sommelier will be teamed up at random with one Blogger and Photographer, and a team ‘Facilitweeter™’ who will keep time and live tweet throughout the event.

After all Somms have completed their pairings, each team will return to Uchiko to verbally describe their pairing selections to the event facilitators and attendees in the most descriptive and educational way.

Each Somm’s explanation will be filmed and posted via Keeper Collection’s social media, and followers will be asked to vote for the Winner of 2011 Wine Ride. Ultimately, the winning Somm will have been voted as providing the audience with the most educational and informative food and wine pairings.

Immediately following the event, participating Bloggers and Photographers will publish a collaborative blog. These five blog posts will be promoted via Keeper Collection’s social media and another public vote will be conducted for the favorite blog post and blogger/photographer team.

Not a Somm, but love awesome wine? Join us for an intimate tasting at Uchiko while the Somm contestants are on the road! Not only will you get to taste killer 2007 Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Clos de la Marechale and 2007 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne Blanc wines (yes…you are reading that right, thanks to Selection Becky Wasserman!), but you will also be there to watch the Somm’s cross the finish line and present their “Perfect Pairings”! Tickets for this Mugnier, Martray, and More Tasting are now on sale. Only 50 tickets are available and can be purchased by phone only ($40+tax). Call Keeper Collection at (512) 970-3456.