Société Mondiale du Vin Confrerie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs

By Jim Ray, Officier

From Thursday October 11, through Saturday October 13, dedicated Société Mondiale du Vin members converged on the town of Monterey California.  They came from every corner of  the nation and in between -- from the Southwest to the Northeast -- Oahu to Baltimore;  and from the Northwest to the Southeast -- Seattle to Naples, to participate in the Mondiale National meeting which was hosting the  "2007 Best of the Young Sommelier Competition." All in all, there were 186 Société Mondiale du Vin members and guests in attendance for this function.

The headquarters Hotel for this event was the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa -- a grand oceanfront resort, and the only hotel in Monterey that has been awarded the Five-Star Diamond Award. The hotel contains 290 spacious and elegant guestrooms, penthouse suites, and has two superb restaurants that reflect the natural beauty of the coastal setting.

National events such as this one, whether they be Chaîne des Rôtisseurs or Société Mondiale du Vin are usually held half way across the country from San Antonio and are three to four days in length, so as a result of those who wish to attend, they need to plan on about a week away from home and work.  That is more time than most of us have to spare.  As a result, not all individuals who would like to attend can do so.

There were eight members of the San Antonio Bailliage who were fortunate enough to be able to arrange their schedule and attend this event -- they were the Salomon's, the Klein's, the Cohen's, and the Ray's.

The following are some of the major events that took place while we were in Monterey.

Evening One: Bring your own Bottle to the "Sardine Factory." Now the name "Sardine Factory" does not initially set very well in the minds of food and wine enthusiasts, and this was one of the challenges that Ted Balestreri and Bert Cutino, the owners of the Sardine Factory, had to overcome when they had a dream of doing something very special in the dining world more than 40 years ago. Seeing the potential of the nearly abandoned area known as Cannery Row, Monterey California, they chose to open their restaurant in a building where sardine  workers were once fed.

"We had no money, and we built a restaurant on the wrong side of the tracks. We broke every rule. We were  under-financed, it was an ugly building, stairs had to be climbed, and there was no marketing program or theme. We had nothing, and we created it all from scratch," said Balestreri.

The Sardine Factory Restaurant opened October 2, 1968 starting with only 72 seats. Featuring one of the most premiere wine programs in the nation, which has been innovative in its use of California wines, the restaurant has grown to triple its seating capacity to 250. The Sardine Factory is today one of the most successful, widely recognized, and highest grossing dining establishments in the country.

Having set the standard for excellence throughout the years, The Sardine Factory has been the recipient of virtually every major restaurant and wine award in the industry, including, the

When it comes to wine, the Sardine Factory has  more than 1,000 labels and 30,000 bottles. Their wine list has become known as one of the finest in the world.  In fact, the Sardine Factory has been the recipient of the "Best Wine List in the World" award from Wine Spectator for 21 years running. The restaurant's selection features both high-end, prestigious vintages, such as an 1870 Chateau Lafitte Rothschild Pauillac priced at $10,000, and over two dozen well-chosen domestic and imported whites for under $30. The wines are stored in the underground Wine Cellar, an impressive room filled with antiques objets d'art in the styles of Napoleon III, Queen Victoria, and Louis XIV. See photo above.

The food that was served that evening is testimony to the reason the Sardine Factory has been the recipient of all those previously mentioned awards. To summarize the six course meal, the following were the major items that were served: Beef, Salmon, Lobster, and Breast of Pheasant.  This restaurant was an excellent choice for us to have our dinner on the first evening while in Monterey.

Day Two: Lunch at the Bernardus Lodge and Winery, Carmel Valley (Group One), and Lunch at Highlands Inn, Carmel Highlands (GroupTwo).  Since the author of this story ate at Bernardus, here is a quick summary of our small lunch:  We started off with a great salad and had three courses follow: Maine Lobster, Sonoma Duck, and Colorado Lamb. Yep, we had it all.  I can't believe I ate the "whole thing" for lunch. Needless to say, by the time we got back on the bus we were ready for a little snooze time in order to prepare ourselves for a big evening coming up.

Evening Two: Mondiale Member Induction Dinner at Chateau Julien.  Let's check out some of the photos: Click thumbnail picture to enlarge the photo for better viewing:

This is the barrel room at Chateau Julien and is as large as a movie theater. The Camera shot was taken from the middle of the room towards the rear.	Same location for the photo taken towards the front of the room. That good looking couple walking towards the camera is Phil and Vallerie from Santa Barbara	Bailli Honoraire, Joel Klein; and our Vice Chargée de Missions Carol Klein	Bailli William Salomon, and Vice Chargée de Presse Honoraire Judy Salomon	I missed the shot of the presiding officer tapping Vivian Ray on both shoulders with the vine stock** as part of the induction ceremony. Here we see her receiving her decoration tastevin from Jim Malloney Echanson Provincial/Bailli, Denver, and Judy later pinning it on her ribbon. The fellow on the right of Vivian is Chris Miller who later placed first in the Young Sommelier competition.

** Vine Stock: Large grape vine trunk approximately 2-1/2 feet long

Day Three: 08:00 am -- 4:00 pm: During this time frame the "Young Sommelier's" are competing against each other for the title of the "Best Young Sommelier."  The competition is administered by the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers, and the judging is done in accordance with the guidelines set forth by Société Mondiale du Vin and the Court of Master Sommeliers.  The Judges were all Master Sommeliers.

In order to qualify to compete at the National level, and to attain the distinction of being selected as the Best Young Sommelier of the year at the National Finals, the candidate must successfully progress through tests conducted at the Local Level and Super Regional Level.

The competitors are judged in three categories of knowledge at each level of competition.

Theory: Written exam: Knowledge of wine, wine production, laws, viticulture & vinification, spirits, beers, ales, ciders, sherry, and cigars.

Practical Skills: Service performance exam: Decanting, Champagne Service, Glassware Choices, Blind Spirit Identification.  It is a role-playing exercise requiring full restaurant service skills, composure, dress, and personal equipment.

Blind Tasting: Twenty-five minutes for double blind tasting of six wines. Scoring done on the Master Sommelier deductive tasting method. Scores were assigned for assessment by sight, nose, and palate, and by initial and final conclusions of each wine.

Results of this competition just a little further down . . .

Day Three, noon - 3:00 pm -- Taste of Wine Country, featuring the wineries and food purveyors throughout California.

Day Three Evening: Gala Awards Dinner: Let's take a look at some of the photos: (Pardon some of the bad lighting, Click thumbnail to enlarge)

The dinner and the ceremonies are about to start. The banner is up, the awards are laid out, and the microphone is turned on.	The dining room tables are all set and ready to go. The remaining photos were taken during the pre dinner reception.	Jane Tracey, Bailli Chicago / Coordinator of Mondiale's La Dolce Vita News Letter and Jet Gulbronsen (Mrs. Grand Echanson des Etats-Unis)	Officier, Webmaster ChaineSanAntonio.org Jim Ray and Dame de la Chaîne Vivian Ray	Southwest Echanson Provincial/Bailli Denver (Mile High) Colorado Jim Maloney and Friend Gloria Montgomery

Mark Monoscalco Bailli Kauai/Oahu & Webmaster ChaineUS.org and Vice Conseiller Gastronomique Mirella Monoscalco	Vice Chanceiller Argentier, & Webmaster ChaineNewOleans.org Yvette Cressend and  Bailli, New Orleans Rufus Cressend;	Grand Echanson des Etats-Unis Dan Gulbronsen; and  Dame De La Chaine Vivian Ray	Bailli San Antonio, William Salomon and Vice Chargée de Presse Honoraire Judy Salomon and friends.	Chargée de Presse Nationale Des Etats-Unis, Editor Chaine Gastronome Magazine Sandra Miller. Charlotte N.C. Nice stockings Sandi!!

 

**Before announcing the other winners of the Sommelier competition, I want to introduce the fellow on the left. This is Drew Hendricks.  As a result of Drew's accomplishments in the International Young Sommelier competition in Frankfurt, September 07, 2007, the wine world had the following headlines: USA Wins Inaugural International 2007 Young Sommelier Competition!! Yes, all of this took place during the German Grand Chapitre.  Second and third places in this international competition were taken by Canada and Germany respectively. Drew was on hand in Monterey to provide inspiration to the young competitors during this competition. . . .   And the winners of this National competition are as follows: