AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY® NEWS Promoting Appreciation of Wine Through Education Volume 29, No
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AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY® NEWS Promoting Appreciation of Wine Through Education Volume 29, No. 6 www.americanwinesociety.org December 2015 Contents President’s Message Frank Aquilino AWC Results 14 We've just arrived back home after a very suc- AWS 50th Anniversary 3 cessful National Conference in Tysons Corner, Virginia. This AWS Educational Foundation 19 year's attendees were treated to Chapter Events 7 warm hospitality from the wineries and the local Government Affairs 5 chapter members of Virginia. A very special session saw all 643 National Conference News 4 attendees tasting Bordeaux wines in a once in a lifetime seminar led National Office News 3 by Paul Wagner of Balzac commu- nications. The AWS this year gave National Tasting Project `10 its Award of Merit honor to Mr. Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vine- Obituaries 9 yards. Mr. Wagner was as honored to receive this award as the American Wine Society was to recog- Treasurer’s Report 12 nize him. Each year the society also recognizes an Outstanding Member. Wine Judge Certification 4 This year that award went to this publications editor and longtime member Pam Davey. Having known Pam for many years it was Winemaker’s Journal 5 truly an honor for me to present the award to her. The attend- ance at this year's conference was the largest we've seen in the last 10 years and it is truly our desire to have next year's confer- ence and the ones following to be larger and with better repre- sentation from chapters in all 50 states not just those closest to the conference site. Because the conference is supported by in- Marketing dustry friends and loyal volunteers we can put together a confer- Kristin Kraft ence that includes seven seminars, two wine receptions with full buffet's, two breakfasts two lunches, a Saturday evening banquet for less than $500 per person. There is nothing in the wine world American Wine Society? Never heard of it. that can match this, truly a bargain. In Tysons Corner, I asked at lunch how many This coming year tasks your Board of Directors with several major people had been to wineries or wine shops organizational changes. The number one objective is to select a where the owners had never heard of the AWS. new Executive Director. A new Member Services Manager must A lot of hands went up. Most wine consumers also be chosen because the MSM must reside close to the Execu- haven’t heard of us either. tive Director in order to coordinate the projects that the national office does. Diane Meyer will continue as conference chairman for We want to change that! We are reforming the AWS Market- 2016. We will be reviewing our website hosting organization "Your ing Committee to spread the word about AWS. We hope Membership, "Several options will be discussed and voted on. to increase our membership AND improve the discounts and Conference registration methods and procedures will also be other benefits available to members. reevaluated. The national website is now a major source of mem- ber and nonmember information about wine education, but it We’re looking for people with fresh ideas, energy and a little needs to be updated and expanded if we want to attract younger spare time to help market our brand across the country. We wine lovers and those interested in wine who would like to in- will explore ideas big and small—everything from social media crease their knowledge and experience with us. Therefore, we will and press releases to sponsorships and beyond. If you have be seeking a "Website Manager" to be responsible for the layout marketing experience that you'd like to put to use, please and content of AmericanWineSociety.org. Tying in with the in- contact me at [email protected]. crease use of our website, we will be searching for a "Marketing Manager" to chair the national committee that has been dormant. The national survey that you received earlier in the year had many members taking the time to not only fill out the question- naire but to ask questions also, I will be answering many of those questions in future columns. We want to show you our members that we care and want to respond to your concerns, questions, problems and suggestions. Frank [email protected] Editor’s Musings Pam Davey The American Wine Society, found- Wow—the 2015 National Conference was fab- ed in 1967, is the oldest and larg- ulous. Thanks to Diane Meyer, the Board of est consumer based wine educa- Directors and the Conference Committee for tion organization in North Ameri- organizing and orchestrating this event. ca. We are a non-profit, education- al corporation. Membership is open Before most of the attendees arrived, a dedicated group of to the general public and is benefi- volunteers, led by Al Guber Jr., organized the wines that Tom cial for those who have a keen and Marj Wallman had procured for the tastings and meals. interest in wine, winemaking and/ Volunteer judges and stewards conducted our annual Amateur or wine culture. Our mission is and Commercial Winemaking competitions, coordinated by Joe “Promoting Appreciation of Wine Dautlick, Mary Riggle and Harvey Reissig. In the Amateur Through Education.” competition, 358 wines earned medals—18 Double Gold, 31 www.americanwinesociety.org Gold, 146 Silver and 162 Bronze. See pages 14-18 for the complete results. In the Commercial Competition, 518 medals were awarded. See the AWS Website for the complete results. Meanwhile, the Wine Judge Training students were carefully listening to their instructors and preparing for their exams. AWS National Office Eleven students completed the program this year. See page 4 John Hames Executive Director for more information on them and the program. Mike Farren Member Service Manager P. O. Box 279 Englewood, OH 45322 Phone (888) AWS-9070 (888) 297-9070 Fax (937) 529-7888 Email [email protected] [email protected] Website www.americanwinesociety.org On Thursday evening, the gala Virginia Reception gave us the 2016 AWS National Officers opportunity to sample wines from the host state, with a great selection of foods. I don’t know how they arranged it, but President Frank Aquilino Thomas Jefferson was on-hand to chat with us. Vice President Kristin Kraft Secretary Joe Broski Treasurer Tom Wallman Directors at Large Competitions Joe Dautlick Education Aaron Mandel Membership David Falchek AWS News Staff Pam Davey Editor [email protected] Friday began with our traditional Champagne breakfast. After the first set of sessions, the entire conference was treated to a John Hames Publisher special Bordeaux tasting featuring 7 wines. As an added bo- [email protected] nus, we had more Bordeaux wines with our Blackened Spiced Lee Baldieri [email protected] Strip Steak lunch. Thanks to Paul Wagner for presenting the Joe Broski [email protected] Grands Crus de Bordeaux to us. Tom Cobett [email protected] Bonnie Huber [email protected] Diane Meyer [email protected] The AWS News is the official newsletter of the American Wine Society. It is published bi-monthly in February, April, June, August, October and December. It is also posted on our website www.americanwinesociety.org. We welcome your comments, letters and articles. Please send your contributions to the editor After lunch, 2 special awards were given—Danny Kline, Out- [email protected]. standing RVP and Percy Dougherty, Outstanding Chapter Chair. The day ended with our gala ISSN 1543-205X Showcase of Wine featuring wines from all over the country and world. Cont. on Page 6 AWS News December 2015 Page 2 National Office News AWS 50th Anniversary—2017 John Hames Jane Duralia As I write this article, I’m still trying to catch up I had the opportunity to converse with an in- on all the post-conference things that have to be credible assembly of AWS members at this handled. Things like updating our website, paying year’s National Conference at Tysons Corner! the conference bills, posting competition results, So much enthusiasm in sharing a plethora of etc., etc. ideas about how we should celebrate our Gold- en Anniversary in 2017. So, now we move on to the next phase of the AWS year, membership renewals, and there’s something new I distributed inquiries at the conference, receiving 177 an- to announce on that front. At our Nov. 4 meeting, the Board of swered questionnaires with exciting thoughts of how to sa- Directors approved offering a three-year membership renewal lute our supporters who have helped to develop and nurture option at a discounted rate. Individual memberships could re- this fine organization, reminiscing the strides through those new for three years for $124 and Household memberships for 50 years, the good and the some not so good, but how we $158 – that’s more than a 15% savings on your dues! Because have always prevailed and grown. of the discounted rate, these will be non-refundable but hey, if you like being an AWS member, why not renew for three years Wine has been the universal language to get us through and save a little money. Of course, single year renewals will these times. The tenacity of our leaders from the very origin also be available and the normal rates. These options are now with Konstantin Frank, determined and hard working to bring active, so look for them when you renew. us to a membership 5500 strong across the country. I have received numerous emails from very interested members Did you know AWS dues have remained the same since 2009? who want to have a “finger in the pie” as we move forward in From 2000 through 2009, dues were increased (5) times due planning this event.