AWS News ISSN 1543-205X Promoting Appreciation of Wine Through Education Volume 33, No
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AWS News ISSN 1543-205X Promoting Appreciation of Wine Through Education Volume 33, No. 1 www.americanwinesociety.org February-March 2019 Meet the President In This Issue This is a very exciting time for the Ameri- can Wine Society as we transition from two strong years of leadership under AWS Educational Foundation 11 Kristin Kraft to two more years of growth and progress under the new Board. I’m Chapter Events 8 very happy to be leading such a passion- ate group of wine enthusiasts. Government Affairs 7 The 2019 Board brings corporate business skills to our non- Member Service News 3 profit organization. Additionally, most members are gradu- ates of the AWS Wine Judge Certification Program and sev- National Conference 12 eral have advanced wine certifications from other organiza- tions. All of our Board members are already working dili- National Officer Elections 11 gently in their respective offices to further the AWS mission of Promoting Wine Appreciation through Education. National Tasting Project 4 In our National Office, David Falchek and Katie Kearney are starting their third year as Executive Director and Member Obituaries 3 Services Manager. David has been a champion of the AWS, in addition to running the National Office. Outstanding Member-John Hames 2 As your new President, I invite you to become a part of the Seeking Perfection (Winemaking) 5 growing and evolving AWS. A special way to show your support by taking advantage of the AWS Wine Judge Train- ing Program or enrolling in the WSET Level 2 training we Show Your AWS Spirit 4 will offer this year. These are both nationally and interna- tionally recognized wine certification programs where you Top 50 Amateur Winemakers 6 can learn more about wine and evaluating wines. WSET Lifetime Achievement Award 10 I especially urge every chapter to invite your Regional Vice President to attend at least one of your tasting this year— you will learn what benefits are available to make your chapter better and to stimulate growth. Finally, it’s not too early to start planning to join us in St. Get Certiied! Pete Beach, Florida, for the National Conference (Oct. 31-Nov. 2). Our New Videos Available! delightful venue is the Tradewinds Resort, This year, I made the New Year’s resolution to make no New right on the Gulf of Year’s resolutions. Of course, by making that New Year’s reso- Mexico, where we’ll be lution, I failed to keep my resolution before the year got start- taking advantage of its ed. It is good to get the year started off right. If you made a great water views. This New Year’s resolution to start or further your wine education. will be the furthest 2019 is a great time to do it! south we’ve every trav- eled for a National Con- Wine Judge Training—Spring Session ference. The AWS Wine Judge Certification Program will have a first- Diane Meyer, our dynamic Conference Chair, outdoes her- year spring session in Washington D.C. on April 27, 2019. self each year and is already working hard to once again Spring sessions are a great opportunity to cut a year off the make it truly memorable. If you want to help with the plan- program by completing year one in the spring and year two in ning, contact her at [email protected]. the fall at the National Conference. Like the conference ses- sion, the spring session is a one-day course including an ex- Both the major and smaller airlines offer amination. The cost of the spring session is $285. There is a bargain direct flights to nearby Tampa lot to do before taking the class in April, so if you are interest- airport, so the conference will be quite ed, please contact me soon. accessible for most of our members. Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Cheers! This fall the American Wine Society will be offering our first Joe Broski WSET course at our conference. WSET [email protected] (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) is Cont. on Page 11 AWS National Ofice 2018 Outstanding Member John Hames P. O. 889 Scranton, PA 18501 We are delighted to introduce you to our 2018 Outstanding Phone (888) AWS-9070 Member, John Hames. He is (888) 297-9070 being honored for his long Fax (570) 344-4825 service to the society in a broad variety of positions. David Falchek Executive Director [email protected] John became an AWS member in 1995, after meeting other Katie Kearney Member Services Manager members at a craft fair in [email protected] Cleveland. He had a long- standing love of wine and Website www.americanwinesociety.org wanted to learn more. He found kindred souls in the Dayton (OH) Chapter and served as their Chairperson 2019 AWS National Oficers for several years. He went on to become Southern Ohio Re- President Joe Broski gional Vice President from Vice President JoAnn DeGaglia 2003-2008. Secretary Leanne Wheeler He was a Project Manager in his professional life and saw the opportunity to enhance our National Conferences, so in 2008 Treasurer Tom Wallman he became our multi-year Conference Chair. Before that we Directors at Large had a new Chair most every year and it was difficult to main- Competitions Joe Dautlick tain consistency in our gatherings. Education Aaron Mandel In 2010 our group needed to quickly replace its Executive Di- Membership Jay Bileti rector and John stepped up to take the role. His leadership and attention to detail brought the society out of financial difficulty and put us back on the path of growth and renewal. He also AWS News Staff recruited his daughter Diane, first to serve as Member Ser- vices Manager and now as Conference Chair. Pam Davey Editor—[email protected] When he turned over the National Office to David Falchek, David Falchek Publisher John didn’t stop working for AWS—he continues to recruit all [email protected] the wonderful speakers we have at our National Conferences. Adrienne Turner [email protected] As our Historian, he also took on the mammoth task of sort- Tom Cobett [email protected] ing, digitizing and organizing our records so they are now searchable and preserved for posterity. Sharyn Kervyn [email protected] Kevin Kourofsky [email protected] The Dayton Chapter is a close-knit group and John told me a story about a raft trip they took on the Colorado River a few Bonnie Lance [email protected] years ago. They were facing 7 days at the bottom of the Grand Diane Meyer [email protected] Canyon with no access to civilization and no glass could be carried on the trip. So, they saved 24 oz. plastic soda bottles, filled them with wine and packed them. Each evening at their campsite they enjoyed good wine together, which further en- hanced their adventure. AWS in Social Media When you belong to a group, John believes it is important to Like us on Facebook americanwinesociety give back. He said, “everyone needs something to be passion- ate about and for me, that’s wine. AWS has allowed me to Join us on LinkedIn American Wine Society make great friends who share this passion and have given me the opportunity to continue learning about wine along with them. Whatever I was able to give to the AWS, I received Follow us on Twitter @AmericanWineSoc much more.” Follow us on Instagram americanwinesociety Thank you John for serving the American Wine Society so gen- erously, and thank you for being our friend. Ocean Isle Beach Wine Competition Enter your wine and compete for gold, silver and bronze med- als in various award categories. Your wine will be judged by an expert panel of AWS wine judges. This competition will be con- ducted in cooperation with the OIB Chapter of the American Wine Society and Silver Coast Winery. Gain recognition for your winemaking skills and get valuable feedback on your wine from the judging panel. Winners will be announced at Wine Fest 2019 on April 27, 2019. For questions, contact Stan Barwikowski at 910-579-5235 or by email at ocean- [email protected]. AWS News December 2019 Page 2 Obituaries Member Service News Rio Vinos (NM) Chapter member Bill Buss died on Christmas morning 2018 at UNM hospital following a crisis on Christ- Happy New Year AWS members! We are coming to the end of mas Eve. In the words of his friend Dick Marsden, “We feel the renewal period for 2019 and if you have not renewed, now privileged to have known him, a blessing in so many ways. is the time. The process is easy. He showed us how to be gracious in every moment and un- 1. Go to our website www.americanwinesociety.org der all circumstances! I truly loved him and will miss him very, very much. I feel we shared much about life, and 2. Sign In to your account (upper right corner). Contact more recently in death. We talked about it and I could only me if you need help logging in. admire his sense of balance, and in his non-religious way, 3. Click Manage Profile (upper right corner) sense of peace. He will be greatly missed!” 4. You will see a banner that says ***Renew Your Mem- bership Now***. Click it and enter your information Alton Los “Al” Long, Jr. passed away peacefully on January 22 at the Elizabethtown Ma- If you do not renew by the end of February, your account will sonic Village in PA, after a long battle be put into “suspended” status, which means you’ll need to with cancer.