Wine Nerds, Rejoice: Sommelier Conference Hits Austin Sunday and Monday

In an effort to further educate local wine professionals, The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas and the Texas Sommelier Association sponsor a two-day conference every year to educate Texas sommeliers on trends, vintages, and regions. This should, in turn, increase both the quality of wine lists seen at Texas restaurants and the knowledge said restaurants have about the wines they're presenting to the public. While this conference is primarily designed as a trade event, it's a little-known secret that many sessions are open to the public for a nominal fee.

This year's event at the Four Seasons has five different regional showcases and the opulent "Grand Tasting" available to non-professional wine enthusiasts. Sunday's slate includes expert sessions on Washington (9:30am), Argentina (11am), the Loire Valley (1pm), Northern and Central Italy (2:30pm). and the Bordeaux regions of Medoc and Graves (4pm). We recommend the Washington and Argentina sessions if you're considering attending, as both regions are over-performing for the money at present, especially with their full-bodied red wines. Both regions offer great value compared to California or France, and are well worth learning about.

While Monday's education sessions are trade-only, the Grand Tasting is an open event (provided you buy a ticket), and while the final line-up has not been announced, last year's slate included stellar offerings from Hanzell, Iron Horse, Grgich Hills, Austin Hope, Pol Roger, Warwick Estate, L'Aventure, Fess Parker, and more. Monday's event will host more than 25 wineries and will also feature the announcement of Texas' Best Sommelier (determined by a test taken at the conference) for 2008.

For tickets to any of these events, visit the Texas Sommelier Conference site.