TEXSOM 2015 announces Sommelier Conference Dates

Dallas, TX (April 7, 2015) – TEXSOM, the most prominent and influential wine education conference in the United States, is celebrating its eleventh year. TEXSOM 2015 will take place August 8 -10, 2015 at the Four Seasons Resort & Club in Las Colinas, Texas.

TEXSOM 2015 will include 23 educational seminars and presentations led by some of the most respected experts in the industry, including Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, and Certified Wine Educators. TEXSOM remains a leader in beverage education, offering high quality seminars. TEXSOM does not accept sponsorship of seminars, maintaining independent and unbiased education opportunities to attendees.

“TEXSOM is far and away the leader in beverage service industry events,” says Andrew McNamara, Master Sommelier and Chairman, Court of Master Sommeliers – Americas. “The seminars, presented by leaders in the international beverage service industry, are the best in the business, and create informed, thoughtful and relevant discussions about where the service industry is – and more important, where it’s going. In short, the attendees, speakers and judges together create a multi-day, service industry-focused discussion that sets trends across the globe. TEXSOM is, in my opinion, the finest and most relevant event for beverage service professionals anywhere in the world.”

This year’s seminars include:

• The Lineage of the Pinot Family, with Josh Raynolds
• White Grape Varieties of Greece, with Matt Stamp MS
• Wines of Process: Sparkling, Oxidized, Fortified, and Beyond, with Charles Curtis MW and Laura DePasquale MS
• Iconic Winery Retrospective Vertical Tasting, with Jean Trimbach
• Guildsomm Presents Classic Wines of the Rhone Valley
• Stylistic Similarities of New Wave Producers in Australia and New Zealand, with Cameron Douglas MS and Rebecca Gibb
• Sake’s Secondary Styles, with Antony Moss MW
• Calvados, with Jim Clarke
• Beer, with Melissa Monosoff MS and Thomas Burke MS

“We’ve worked hard to make TEXSOM the largest and most influential sommelier conference in the world,” says James Tidwell, who along with Drew Hendricks is one of the conference founders. “There is no other time when you will find more influential wine professionals in one place, than at TEXSOM. In fact, we expect to draw 1,000 attendees this year, 700 of them sommeliers and beverage industry buyers.”

“When we started out 10 years ago, we focused on high-level wine education for local sommeliers and wine industry professionals,” says Drew Hendricks. “Interest grows each year, and we have spread beyond the Texas border, offering presenters and attendees from all over the world, each bringing their own unique experience and knowledge to the conference. It truly is something special.”

TEXSOM 2015 will offer participants a chance to attend educational seminars, each featuring up to eight beverages. In addition, attendees have the opportunity to taste more than 400 wines for evaluation at the Grand Tasting and Awards Reception.  Presenting sponsors include the Court of Master Sommeliers, Guild of Sommeliers, Society of Wine Educators, and Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

“The Guild of Sommeliers is excited to extend our relationship with TEXSOM,” says Geoff Kruth, Master Sommelier and Chief Operating Officer of the Guild of Sommeliers. “We feel this is one of the best sommelier events in the country, and we hope our increased participation will entice our members from around the world to join us for an incredible couple of days.”

Registration for TEXSOM 2015 Full Conference is $425 and includes access to seminars, Sunday and Monday lunches, Hospitality Suites, tasting breaks, and Grand Tasting.

Registration for TEXSOM 2015 Seminars only is $350, and TEXSOM 2015 Grand Tasting only is $105.

Rooms are available at a special conference rate until July 5. The room block is limited and could be fully committed prior to the deadline. Rooms booked outside the room block or after the deadline will be charged full hotel rate. To reserve, please call Four Seasons Resort and Club reservations at 972-717-2499 and reference the TEXSOM conference.

About TEXSOM
Founded in 2005, TEXSOM was started by Master Sommeliers James Tidwell and Drew Hendricks to help promote professional wine service standards, outline paths for further wine education and certification, and raise public awareness about the professional standards and certifications for sommeliers. Today the conference draws a total of 1,000 attendees, of which 700 are sommeliers and other beverage industry professionals.