Iron Sommeliers to compete despite pandemic
Adjusting to the realities of life during a pandemic, Sean Beck and the Periwinkle Foundation have deftly assembled a three-part master plan for the 2020 Iron Sommelier competition, Houston’s most wine-savvy annual event.
One part has already sold out. Even at $10,000 per table and COVID-19 still in our midst, the Underwriters Event at Backstreet Cafe the evening of Nov. 12 is expecting 85 guests. Master Sommeliers Steven McDonald, Jack Mason and June Rodil plus two-time Iron Sommelier champion Christian Varas will serve as hosts.
A number of tickets at $1,000 each are left for the dinner at Backstreet’s sister restaurant Hugo’s, where capacity has been capped at 100. Defending champion Andres Blanco, now part of the La Table team after representing Caracol in 2019, will be there presenting special Mexican wines, his winning theme of a year ago.
For $100, which includes a sampling of the 12 competing sommeliers’ themed wine selections, it’s possible to participate virtually. And for an additional $35, “guests” can purchase a multicourse food tasting to pair with the wine. Livestream spots will be available for purchase (ironsommelier .org/event-information) up until the morning of the competition.
The 12 competitors — two former champions, Julie Dalton of Mastro’s (2018) and Evan Turner (2015), are again in the mix — will visit both locations to make their respective cases for the People’s Choice award. But, as in the past, it will be three professional judges, Master Sommeliers Rodil, who oversees the Goodnight Hospitality wine program, and Austin-based Craig Collins of Vintus Wines, plus Hous
ton Wine Merchant’s Antonio Gianola, who determine the Iron Sommelier.
Beck, who oversees the wine programs for the H-Town Restaurant Group that includes Backstreet, Hugo’s and Caracol, claimed the first three championships before “retiring” to help coordinate the competition for Periwinkle. The Foundation provides support for families dealing with cancer and other deadly diseases.
Now, with several months of livestreaming wine dinners under his belt because of COVID-19 restrictions, Beck insists, “We’ve got the virtual thing down pat.” Of course, the hope is that everyone can reconvene in a convivial ballroom setting in 2021. The Houstonian Hotel & Spa has been Iron Sommelier’s home base in recent years.
Marcus Gausepohl of Brennan’s: “Burgundy without Blinders, Wine for the 99%” (2015 Mouton, 1er Cru Clos Jus, Givry, France; 2015 Huguenot, Marsannay, France)
Whitney Seng of The Coronado Club:
“Parched Grapes: Wines from the Driest Places on Earth” (2015 Falernia Reserva Syrah, Elqui Valley, Chile; Hidalgo Villapanés Oloroso Seco Sherry, Jerez, Spain)
Lindsay Thomas of River Oaks Country Club:
“Always a Bridesmaid; Syrah, and Why You Should Finally Put a Ring on It” (2018 SavageWines Girl Next Door, Cape Town, South Africa; 2012 Stolpman Vineyards Angeli, California)
Emily Tolbert of Savoir: “Gas, Grass, or A**; No One Rides for Free” (2006 Château Beaucastel Châteauneuf-de-Pape; 2019 Yealands Single Block Sauvignon Blanc, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand)
Evan Turner: “Meet and Greek: Rare Grapes of Greece” (2018 Domaine de Kalathas Koumariano / Mavro Potamisi To Kokkino Epitrapezios, Oenos; 2013 Domaine Nerantzi Koniaros PGI Serres)
Justin Vann of Public Services Bar and Theodore Rex: “Natural Enemies: Varietal Correctness vs. Natural Wine” (2017 Julien Guillot, Clos des Vignes du Mayne Rouge Gamay, Macon, France; 2019 Meinklang Prosa Petillant Naturel Rosé, Burgunland, Austria) Jeffrey Young of Georgia James: “Fifty Shades of Greywacke” (2014 Trinity Hill, The Gimblett Cabernet Franc blend, Gimblett Gravels, New Zealand; 2016 DuMOL Eddie’s Patch Syrah, Greywacke Vineyard, Russian River Valley, California)