Rick Fisher, our Spanish Wine Scholar Program™ Developer, recently returned from New York City where he was attending the 24th annual Spain’s Great Match, the nation's leading Spanish wine event organized by the Trade Commission of Spain in conjunction with Wines From Spain.

Rioja is the home of Spain's original fine wine: the Gran Reservas. These Tempranillo-based wines, aged in American oak casks, yield ethereal cherry-and-vanilla reds. Master of Wine Sarah Jane Evans, recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from Wines of Rioja, will provide an introduction to the region, its grape varieties and winemaking styles and discuss the key trends of the 21st century. Join us to find out how tradition is in transition in Rioja.

Presenter: Sarah Jane Evans

An award-winning wine-writer and journalist.

Accolades include:

• Spanish Wines Communicator of the Year 2013, 2015
• Wines of Rioja Outstanding Contribution Award 2015
• Member, Gran Orden de Caballeros de Vino
• Dama de Albariño
• Dama de Solear

In addition

• Joint-Chairman for Spain and Sherry at the Decanter World Wine Awards, the world’s largest wine awards
• Former Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine, 2014-2016
• Certified Sherry Educator, 2007
• Passed Master of Wine exams 2006. Wrote dissertation on the Almacenista producers of Jerez. Won Robert Mondavi Winery prize for highest marks in the theory papers and dissertation.
• Freixenet Scholarship for the highest marks on Spain in the WSET Diploma
• President of the Guild of Food Writers, 1998-2002
• Associate Editor, BBC Good Food magazine 1992-2004

Sarah Jane lived and worked in Spain in the period between school and starting to study at Cambridge University, and that was when her life-long love of Spain began.  In 1992, to coincide with Expo ’92, she wrote Seville, a history of the city. Every year she writes the Spanish and Sherry sections of the Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Book, and writes for a wide range of trade and consumer publications.

Today Sarah Jane travels widely to consult at wineries, judge at wine shows, speak at conferences. In Spain she has been a guest speaker at San Sebastian Gastronomika, Fenavin, Vinoble; and is the keynote speaker at the 3^rd Wine & Culinary International Forum run by Torres in Barcelona this weekend. She lives in London, and hosts tastings of Spanish wines for consumers as well as students and corporate clients.

She has a strong interest in taste and flavour and in giving consumers the confidence to make their own choices. She is a founder member of the Academy of Chocolate, founded to promote fine chocolate, and finds that through carefully planned wine tastings, consumers can come to learn how to describe and enjoy flavours in wine.  She’s the author of Chocolate Unwrapped: Taste and Enjoy the World’s Finest Chocolate.

Tour through Spain’s greatest red grape varieties and the most important wines they produce. This webinar will present several wines from Spain’s most iconic vineyards, along with their history, terroir, viticulture, vinification and taste profile, and the cultural connection with their regions.

Presenter: Lucas Payà

Lucas Payà currently works as an independent consultant for several quality firms within the wine, beverage, and gastronomy industries.

For five years, Lucas served as sommelier for acclaimed chef Ferran Adrià’s highly esteemed restaurant elBulli, in Catalonia, Spain, with a wine inventory of over $2M. Between 2002 and 2007, he was employed as one
of the restaurant's two sommeliers / wine buyers [working under Juli
Soler's direction] and, one of the core team of fewer than a dozen who stayed on and worked throughout the winter too. During that period of time elBulli's wine list doubled its offerings.

Most recently, he worked as the wine & beverage director for José Andrés ThinkFoodGroup (TFG), where he oversaw the wine and beverage programs for all fifteen TFG restaurants in the U.S. and internationally. His involvement in the design and development of these unique beverage programs also marked the expansion of TFG restaurants outside the DC area.

Prior to working for TFG, he represented and promoted a number of top-tier wineries from Spain in the U.S. wine market, and was a collaborator in
Eric Solomon’s prestigious wine importing company.

In his early years in the industry, he worked as sommelier for the Spoon+ concept by chef Alain Ducasse in London. 

Lucas is a member of the respected L’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne and a Certified Sherry Educator. His expertise on wine and beverages has appeared in multiple publications such as Wines from Spain News, The Boston Globe, El Mundo, Verema, Expansion, LA Times Magazine, Gayot,
Angeleno, Gourmet, The Tasting Panel, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Somm Journal, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits, Food & Wine, Wine Spectator and Punch, among others. Lucas has been invited to take part in numerous international wine events and seminars. He has
visited many wine regions in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the US, Canada, South Africa, Mexico and others, as a guest taster and buyer.

Learn more about Spanish wines with the Spanish Wine Scholar study & certification program.

Tour through Spain’s greatest white grape varieties and the most important wines they produce. This webinar will present several wines from Spain’s most iconic vineyards, along with their history, terroir, viticulture, vinification and taste profile, and the cultural connection with their regions.

Presenter: Lucas Payà

Lucas Payà currently works as an independent consultant for several quality firms within the wine, beverage, and gastronomy industries.

For five years, Lucas served as sommelier for acclaimed chef Ferran Adrià’s highly esteemed restaurant elBulli, in Catalonia, Spain, with a wine inventory of over $2M. Between 2002 and 2007, he was employed as one
of the restaurant's two sommeliers / wine buyers [working under Juli
Soler's direction] and, one of the core team of fewer than a dozen who stayed on and worked throughout the winter too. During that period of time elBulli's wine list doubled its offerings.

Most recently, he worked as the wine & beverage director for José Andrés ThinkFoodGroup (TFG), where he oversaw the wine and beverage programs for all fifteen TFG restaurants in the U.S. and internationally. His involvement in the design and development of these unique beverage programs also marked the expansion of TFG restaurants outside the DC area.

Prior to working for TFG, he represented and promoted a number of top-tier wineries from Spain in the U.S. wine market, and was a collaborator in
Eric Solomon’s prestigious wine importing company.

In his early years in the industry, he worked as sommelier for the Spoon+ concept by chef Alain Ducasse in London. 

Lucas is a member of the respected L’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne and a Certified Sherry Educator. His expertise on wine and beverages has appeared in multiple publications such as Wines from Spain News, The Boston Globe, El Mundo, Verema, Expansion, LA Times Magazine, Gayot,
Angeleno, Gourmet, The Tasting Panel, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Somm Journal, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits, Food & Wine, Wine Spectator and Punch, among others. Lucas has been invited to take part in numerous international wine events and seminars. He has
visited many wine regions in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the US, Canada, South Africa, Mexico and others, as a guest taster and buyer.

Learn more about Spanish wines with the Spanish Wine Scholar study & certification program