Taste of Atlanta, the city’s award-winning food, craft beer, wine and spirits festival showcasing the local restaurant scene, announced details for the 4th Annual Best Sommelier Competition and 10th Annual Taste of Atlanta Barcraft Celebration.
Coordinated by Taste of Atlanta in association with the Southeastern Sommelier Society, this year’s Best Sommelier Competition is in full swing. Through September 18, sommeliers from across Georgia can test their knowledge in a preliminary online test, answering 100 wine-related questions within 30 minutes. Sommeliers of any level of certification are welcome to compete, and the top four scoring participants will advance to the final round held on Monday, September 24 at City Winery at Ponce City Market from 6:30-9pm. The finalists will be challenged throughout several rounds of interactive tests on wine service, blind tasting and theory in front of a live crowd. Ultimately, one will be named the 2018 Best Sommelier by a panel of judges including Phillip Burrus, Southeastern Sommelier Society; Jacob Gragg, Banfi Vintners; Gil Kulers, Piedmont Driving Club; 2017 Winner Adam Pucillo, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle; Clarke Anderson, Ford Fry Restaurant Group; and Kacey Jane Ivey, Quality Wine & Spirits. The emcee for the event will be Eric Crane of Empire Distributors.
Tickets to attend the finals are available to the public here for $50 and include four to six wines paired with light bites. Guests can enjoy wine and food pairings curated by City Winery Executive Chef Nick Anderson, Beverage Director JR Smith and David Almeida of Winesellers Ltd. On Saturday, October 20, the winner of Best Sommelier Competition will team up with Chef Joe Paire of Barcelona restaurant to present a food and wine pairing as part of a “Brunch-a-holics” demonstration on the Chef’s Table stage at Taste of Atlanta. Media partners and sponsors for the Best Sommelier Competition include Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine, 17th South and Simply Buckhead Magazine.
Sponsored by Bulleit Bourbon and in celebration of 10 years of the Taste of Atlanta Barcraft Competition, the Barcraft Celebration will bring together Atlanta’s best bartenders to host cocktail workshops at Atlanta restaurants prior to the festival. The workshops are open to the public, and attendees will learn how to make creative bourbon cocktails. The celebration continues on Saturday, October 20 in the Taste of Atlanta VIP Experience area, where Atlanta bartenders will serve specialty Bulleit Bourbon cocktails. It culminates on Sunday, October 21 as bartenders craft cocktail creations and join a Q&A panel on the Home Plate Stage discussing the state of the cocktail community. Attendees will enjoy specialty Bulleit Bourbon cocktails at the panel. For updates on the Barcraft Celebration and cocktail workshops, visit www.TasteofAtlanta.com.
Featuring craveable bites and bevs from more than 90 of Atlanta’s favorite restaurants, Taste of Atlanta brings together food lovers of all ages and chefs from neighborhoods across Atlanta for three days. Local chefs and hospitality pros will lead on-stage cooking demos and hands-on cooking classes, while guests sample food from restaurants plus craft beer, wine and cocktails.
Tickets are now on sale here for the 17th Annual Taste of Atlanta held at Historic Fourth Ward Park this October 19 – 21. To keep up with Taste of Atlanta details, check out the official festival website at http://www.TasteofAtlanta.com, sign up for the Bite of News newsletter here and follow Taste of Atlanta on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
