judges

Anthony Dias Blue, President / Editor-in-Chief, Blue Lifestyle / The Tasting Panel Magazine
Anthony Dias Blue is recognized world-wide as a leading food, wine and travel authority. His work in all media is circulated to more than 50,000,000 consumers each month.

His James Beard Award–winning food and wine critiques, The Blue Lifestyle Minute, are broadcast daily on KFWB in Los Angeles and on WCBS radio in New York. He also has a weekly live show The Happy Hour in Los Angeles on KLSX. Formerly Wine & Spirits Editor of Bon Appétit, he is co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Patterson’s The Tasting Panel Magazine and is a frequent contributor to Decanter, Robb Report, Celebrated Living, Virtuoso Life, and C Magazine. Anthony Dias Blue’s Pocket Guide to Wine 2007 is published by Simon & Schuster.

Doug Frost, Master Sommelier & Master of Wine, Wine & Spirits Writer, Kansas City Star
Doug Frost is a Kansas City author who writes and lectures about wine, beer and spirits. In 1991 he passed the rigorous Master Sommelier examination and two years later became America’s eighth Master of Wine. He was the second person in history to complete both exams and fourteen years later he is still one of only three people in the world to have achieved both these remarkable distinctions.
His first book, Uncorking Wine, was released in the summer of 1996, and is still a staple for many restaurant and retail companies and their staff and management. Frost’s newest book, The Far From Ordinary Spanish Wine Guide, was released in October 2005. Frost is also a contributor to the Oxford Companion of Wine and The Wine Report, edited by Tom Stevenson.

Mr. Frost is the wine and spirits consultant for United Airlines and he writes about wine and spirits for many publications including The Oxford Companion to Wine, New York Times Digital, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Underground Wine Journal, Practical Winery & Vineyard, Hemispheres Magazine, Wines & Vines, Wines & Spirits and Cheers Magazine, and Santé Magazine. He is the beverage columnist for the James Beard award-winning food section of the Kansas City Star. He has written for many years for local and national journals; specializing in art, food and music as well as writing film reviews for Public Radio.

Sean Ludford, Journalist, Beverage Experts
Sean Ludford has been involved in the beverage industry for more than 20 years. He has an eclectic resumé including stints at restaurants, some of America’s top wine & spirit retailers, as a writer & reviewer, importer/distributor, and he was once even lured to the South Pacific to help open a micro brewery. Today Sean spends his days primarily writing and touring the globe speaking on topics as far flung as the wines of Southern Italy, Single Malt Whisky, Belgian Ales, and the wines of Bali! He publishes a drinks focused, lifestyle website aimed at consumers, adeptly named BevX.com. His work can also be found regularly in many of the beverage industry top publications as well as consumer journals in both US and Europe. Sean is also a judge at the San Francisco International Wine Competition and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier, Wine Director for Chef Emeril Lagasse's restaurants in Las Vegas
Judge for San Francisco World Spirits and San Francisco International Wine Competition
Produces the wine Mastery which will be released in the Fall of 2008 (www.masterywines.com)
Partner in Cruvee.com -- a social networking website for wine lovers (now in Beta) www.beta.cruvee.com [will be: www.cruvee.com]

Patrick Farrell, Master of Wine, BevWizard Inc.
A master of wine since 1998, Patrick is a wine educator, writer and physician who is passionate about food and wine. He's long been working on Dr. Farrell's Red Wine, Green Tea and Dark Chocolate Diet. Patrick is CEO of Inventive Technologies/Bevwizard, Inc. whose mission is to smooth out bitter beverages.

Christie Dufault, Sommelier, Quince
Christie Dufault is the lead sommelier at Quince Restaurant in San Francisco, where she oversees a dynamic wine program designed to pair with Chef/Owner Michael Tusk’s daily changing menu. The wine list emphasizes classic wines of balance and elegance to harmonize with the fresh cuisine. Christie is also an adjunct wine instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley, and is a founding and consulting sommelier at Vintrust, a San Francisco based wine consulting and management firm.

In 2003 Christie was named “Best Young Sommelier” by Wine & Spirits Magazine and in 2004 she was featured in the Food Network’s “Wine for the Confused” with actor John Cleese. In 2007 Christie was honored as San Francisco Magazine’s “Best Wine Director”.

Jack Robertiello, Wine and Spirits Writer
Jack Robertiello has worked with or written about food and beverages for most of his adult life. He is currently a free-lance writer for Nations Restaurant News, Santé, Cheers and other magazines.

Janet Dyer, President, Wine Excel
Janet Dyer is a fifth-generation San Franciscan and has been working in the wine industry since 1976 when she completed UCSB while working at the Santa Barbara Winery. Since then she has held many positions in the wine business including Western Regional Sales Manager where her then boss Gerald Asher, acted as a mentor.

She then became a PR/ Marketing Manager for a large Napa Valley winery where at his request, tasted wine on a weekly basis with Andre Tchelistcheff. She later became a Vice President for a Ca. wholesaler, and worked as a National Accounts Manager, Chain Store Manager, SF on-sale manager, Sales Manager for a distributor and is currently a self-employed broker and independent contractor in Northern Ca. Janet did a one year stint as a retail wine buyer that gave her a never ending regard and sympathy for retail buyers.

Mendel Kohn, Independent Contractor
Mendel represents fine wines and spirits from around the world, and showcases them to top retailers and restaurants across Northern California. He has been in the hospitability industry over 30 years, and judges for many competitions.

Randa Warren, Master Sommelier, Independent Consultant
Randa Warren has been involved in the wine business for over 12 years. She began home study WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust in England) wine courses through the International Wine Center in New York in 1998 and completed the final WSET Diploma program in 2001. During this period, Randa also embarked on a rigorous journey with the Court of Master Sommeliers, gaining her Advanced Sommelier title in 2000 on her first attempt in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was the beginning of an adventurous career path that would lead Randa to becoming the 16th female Master Sommelier in the world in the Spring of 2007. Randa has written a local wine article for over ten years for Tulsa People, a monthly publication in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Warren has been a member of the Confrerie du Tastevin in Burgundy for over 10 years and is a Dame de la Chaine des Rotisseurs in the United States, formerly Vice Eschanson of the L’Ordre Mondial, a sub-division of the Chaine des Rotisseurs specializing in the area of wine. She also conducts local cooking classes and competes in numerous grilling/smoking contests around Oklahoma.

John Szabo, Master Sommelier, Editor, First in Line e-Report
Contributing Editor, Wine Access, CityBites, YFM
CVA Beverage Program Management
John is Canada's first and currently only Master Sommelier, earning the title from the Court of Master Sommeliers in London, England in 2004. He has been working in the hospitality business at home and abroad for over 15 years, filling many positions including cook, sommelier, wine importer, restaurant & winery consultant, educator and wine writer. Today, John tastes, writes, consults, teaches, speaks and travels the wine regions of the world in search of the best.

Jordan Mackay, Wine & Spirits Editor, 7x7 Magazine
Jordan Mackay is a wine and spirits writer based in San Francisco, with a weekly column on chow.com, two monthly column's in San Francisco's 7x7 magazine, and frequent contributions to Wine and Spirits and Decanter.

David Gadd, "Gadd's Six Pack" and Managing Editor, The Tasting Panel Magazine
David Gadd has been active with Anthony Dias Blue's Blue Lifestyle organization since 1996, having worked on projects as diverse as the "Blue Lifestyle Minute" and Anthony Dias Blue's Pocket Guide to Wine, among many others. He continues to coordinate the day-to-day operations of Patterson's The Tasting Panel Magazine and contributes the monthly "Gadd's Sixpack" beer review column to the magazine, as well as writing frequent departmental and feature stories.

Meridith May, Publisher & Executive Editor, The Tasting Panel Magazine

Meridith May joined the Patterson’s team in 2000 as Senior Editor and advanced to her present dual role. She helped to create the current look and image of the magazine and has been responsible for a significant increase in circulation and readership. Meridith’s background in radio (KIIS-FM & KLSX Los Angeles/ KEYT Santa Barbara) and newspapers (Santa Barbara News Press) combined with her extensive knowledge of food and wine makes her a leading authority on the changing trends of the industry.
In April of 2007, Meridith became co-owner of the newly rebranded Patterson's The Tasting Panel Magazine with Anthony Dias Blue.

Wayne Belding, Master Sommelier, Co-Owner, The Boulder Wine Merchant
Wayne Belding, a Master Sommelier since 1990, has enthusiastically bought and sold wines for restaurants and retail for 20+ years. He has evaluated wines, wine lists, and the wine knowledge of sommeliers for decades.

Barbara Werley, Master Sommelier, Pappas Bros. Steakhouses’s Wine Director
Werley is one of only three Master Sommeliers in Texas and she is also one of only 16 female master sommeliers in North America. Werley arrives in Dallas from White Sulphur Springs, WV, where she was the beverage director at The Greenbrier. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Werley began her career in the kitchens of such notable places as the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago and the Jockey Club at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. There, she shifted her focus to her true love, wine, and eventually became wine director at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. She also has held positions at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona, and at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. Werley was an adjunct professor at Harrah’s School of Hotel Management at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

Ron Edwards, Master Sommelier, Consultant
Ron Edwards became a Master Sommelier in 2005. After many years in the restaurant industry Ron is an active consultant to all levels of the wine and hospitality trade. His monthly wine club offers carefully selected wines, and the corporate world trusts him to entertain and impress its clients. One of Ron’s favorite activities is training the next generation of professional sommeliers through the courses of The Court of Master Sommeliers.

In the past three years Ron has been engaged by Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island; Tapawingo, Ellsworth Michigan; Henry Ford Health Systems; Practical Winery and Vineyard; Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan; Townsend Hotel, Birmingham Michigan; 20 Brix Wine Bar, Milford, Ohio; The Weather Channel; Robert Bosch Corporation and BuyersVine.com. In addition, Ron and two partners created The Grapevine School of Wine, a unique educational experience for the public.

Sally Mohr, Master Sommelier
Sally Mohr, second female to attain the title Master Sommelier in the U.S. and co-owner of the Boulder Wine Merchant, enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for wine and food with consumers through tastings, seminars, and wine festivals.

Scott Carney, Master Sommelier, General Manager/Consultant, Marco Polo Caterers

Scott Carney is a veteran of the 3-star NYC restaurant scene. He came to NY with a background in wine and attended NYU where he earned an MBA in Finance and International Business. Scott was a partner at Gotham Bar & Grill from 1985-1995, Managing Director of Tavern on the Green in 1996, and opened his first restaurant, The Tonic in Chelsea , in 1998.

Scott passed the rigorous Master Sommelier exam in 1991 at the Dorchester Hotel in London. He was one of the first to go through the program. Since that time, he has been an educator for the Court of Maser Sommeliers and a restaurant and wine and financial consultant/manager for Picholine, Les Halles, The Glazier Group, and Jean-Georges.

Kevin Furtado, Wine Director/Sommelier, Larkspur Restaurant

Kevin Furtado’s accomplishments range from his 450 selection list at Larkspur restaurant in Vail, commandeering the wine program at the new Avondale restaurant at the Westin, and the first release of his own wine label K. Furtado

Judges