Displaying items by tag: Pascaline Lepeltier MS

Summary: 

• What are the main tasting methods and what are their key characteristics? 
• How do different cultures, languages and sensibilities impact how wine tasting is approached? 
• Can we envision a more overarching and universal tasting method? 

These are some of the questions we will be addressing in the upcoming Meeting of the Minds on July 22nd.

Wine Scholar Guild Academic Advisor Andrew Jefford, speaking from France, will be bringing together a panel of key thinkers, educators, writers and experts in four countries to discuss a world of tasting methods. UK-based Professor Barry Smith not only directs the Institute of Philosophy at the School of Advanced Study at London University, but is also founding director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses/CenSes, which pioneers collaborative research between philosophers, psychologists and neuroscientists. He is himself a philosopher of language and mind. Sommelière (and former philosophy student) Pascaline Lepeltier MS, speaking from New York, grew up and studied in the French tradition of wine appreciation but has spent much of her working life talking about wine to Anglophones. UK-based Matthew Stubbs MW is one of the wine world’s most experienced and popular educators, and has taught both on his own behalf and for WSET and IMW around the world. Finally, speaking from Nanning in China, comes Julien Boulard MW, one of the most brilliant of recent MW graduates and a wine educator in China whose mastery of Mandarin sees him regularly appearing on Chinese media.

Host & Panelists: 

Andrew Jefford

Andrew, Academic Advisor to the Wine Scholar Guild, has been writing about wine since 1988, notably for The Evening Standard and The Financial Times among other UK newspapers.  He has columns in every edition of Decanter magazine and World of Fine Wine magazine, and is co-chair of Decanter World Wine Awards and vice-chair of Decanter Asia Wine Awards. His books include The New France, Whisky Island and Andrew Jefford’s Wine Course.

Pascaline Lepeltier MS, MOF:

• 2018 Best French Sommelier
• Master Sommelier and Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) 
• Highly qualified and experienced speaker and presenter
• Managing Partner at Racines (NYC) and Former Beverage Director at Rouge Tomate (NYC)

Matthew Stubbs MW:

• More than 30 years experience in the wine trade, from importing and distribution to running a supermarket wine department.
• Master of Wine since 1996, winner of the Bollinger Medal for the best tasting paper and the Listel Scholarship for the best Vinification paper.
• Actively involved with the Institute as Practical Examiner, seminar lecturer or mentor.
• Mentor to many MW students over the years and continues to help them fine tune the tasting skills needed to succeed in the Practical exam.
• Regular on judging panels for wine competitions, Panel Chair for the International Wine Challenge and co-President of the Sud de France Top 50 in China.
• Practical Chair of the MW Education Committee.

Julien Boulard MW:

• Born in Alsace, Julien arrived in China in 2003 after studying Mandarin at University
• After completing a Master's degree in International Affairs, he worked for five years for a wine importer in Nanning, China
• Founder and owner of Zhulian Wines wine school in China, offering both WSET and WSG programs
• His fluency in Mandarin, both spoken and written, as well as his wine knowledge and experience as a wine educator, enabled him to become a key professional on the Chinese wine scene
• He is a judge for various wine competitions in China and Hong Kong
• Read Julien's full interview HERE

Prof Barry C Smith:

• Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London’s School of Advanced Study.
• Founding director of its Centre for the Study of the Senses, which pioneers collaborative research between philosophers, psychologists and neuroscientists.
• His current research on flavour perception involves collaborations with psychologists, neuroscientists, oenologists and chefs, and he has published theoretical and experimental papers on flavour perception in Nature, Food Quality and Preference, Chemical Senses and Flavour. 
• Editor of Questions of Taste: the philosophy of wine for Oxford University Press (2007).
• Frequent broadcaster, who regularly appears as a sensory expert on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet and BBC Two’s Inside the Factory. 
• Presenter of a 10-part series for BBC Radio 4 called The Uncommon Senses
• Frequent contributor to The World of Fine Wine and for seven years was wine columnist for Prospect Magazine.

Learn More About Wine Tasting:

• Member webinar: Taste Wine Like An MW with Matthew Stubbs MW

Summary: 

Every classic wine region is associated with a list of producers who manage to bring out the best in soil, site and grape. Their wines have purity of flavor, layers of flavor and concentration of flavor. In essence, these producers manage to bottle the soul of the region itself. 

In the Loire Valley, diverse soil types and grape varieties give us three producer groupings who have set the bar for excellence and distinctiveness. In order to cover them well, we will host two webinars.

Part 1: Loire... Opposites Attract

Here, we will focus on the still whites from the western Pays Nantais (Muscadet) and the still whites, rosés and reds eastern vineyards of the Centre Loire (Sancerre, Pouilly, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly and Coteaux du Giennois) with a bonus glimpse into the Auvergne. Yes, it will be a “who’s who”, but it will also be a “who’s doing what!” at both ends of the Loire! Click here to access PART 1.

Part 2: The Loire’s Magic Middle

This webinar will focus on the heart of the Loire—the exquisitely beautiful and breathtaking stretch from Anjou to Touraine. We will take a look at historic estates and edgy newcomers and see how both are tackling tradition and innovation within every wine style. There is magic in the Middle Loire. Discover the best of the best.

Presenter: Pascaline Lepeltier MS

Summary: 

Every classic wine region is associated with a list of producers who manage to bring out the best in soil, site and grape. Their wines have purity of flavor, layers of flavor and concentration of flavor. In essence, these producers manage to bottle the soul of the region itself. 

In the Loire Valley, diverse soil types and grape varieties give us three producer groupings who have set the bar for excellence and distinctiveness. In order to cover them well, we will host two webinars.

Part 1: Loire... Opposites Attract

Here, we will focus on the still whites from the western Pays Nantais (Muscadet) and the still whites, rosés and reds eastern vineyards of the Centre Loire (Sancerre, Pouilly, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly and Coteaux du Giennois) with a bonus glimpse into the Auvergne. Yes, it will be a “who’s who”, but it will also be a “who’s doing what!” at both ends of the Loire!

Part 2: The Loire’s Magic Middle

This webinar will focus on the heart of the Loire—the exquisitely beautiful and breathtaking stretch from Anjou to Touraine. We will take a look at historic estates and edgy newcomers and see how both are tackling tradition and innovation within every wine style. There is magic in the Middle Loire. Discover the best of the best. Click here to access PART 2.

Presenter: Pascaline Lepeltier MS

Master sommelier and Loire valley native, Pascaline Lepeltier, has been working with key Loire producers over the past months in preparation for the October 2017 Loire Wine Study Trip.

Take a look at her notes on this carefully curated list of both iconic and rising star estates/producers in the Loire Valley

An interesting read to get you re-acquainted with some of the more historically famed estates as well as introduce you to some of the new generation vintners who are pushing boundaries and defining the region’s vinous future…

Summary: 

Chenin Blanc is a wonderful grape variety, capable of creating some of the world’s best wines, especially in the Loire Valley. Yet, even here, in the “Kingdom of Chenin,” plantings of Chenin Blanc are limited to very specific areas and appellations. Moreover, the geology of these various appellations significantly influences the resulting style of wine.

This session will explore the characteristics of Chenin grown on slate and limestone soils.

Presenter: Pascaline Lepeltier MS

Blame the Château d’Yquem 1937 for convincing 2010 StarChefs.com Rising Star Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier to begin her brilliant career in wine. Detouring from a master’s in philosophy and a career as a university teacher, the Loire Valley-born (Angers), Lepeltier began her obsession with wine at the two star Michelin-rated L’Auberge Bretonne under celebrated Chef Jacques Thorel, starting as assistant sommelier and soon presiding over a list of more than 4500 wines.

Within a year, Pascaline accomplished the remarkable feat of being named both Best Loire Valley Young Sommelier and Best Brittany Sommelier. While working as Beverage Director at Rouge Tomate in Brussels, she decided to intern at the George V in Paris under the direction of Best European Sommelier Eric Beaumard to train for the 2008 Best French Sommelier competition which paid off with a second-runner-up finish: the best result ever achieved by a woman. She again placed as the second-runner-up in 2010 and 2012. Currently Beverage Director of Rouge Tomate NYC, she was named one of the five best new US sommeliers of 2011 by Wine & Spirits magazine, one of the "New Wine Prophets" by Time Out NY and one of the “40 under 40” beverage influencers by Wine Enthusiast.

Lepeltier makes sure she is as knowledgeable about winemaking as she is about tasting, spending much time in vineyards and working harvests. It was through such visits that she discovered the world of natural wine. Called the “Natural Wine Evangelist” by Ray Isle in Food & Wine, Lepeltier’s strong advocacy of this authentic and pure approach is reflected in the large number of organic or biodynamic wines on her Rouge Tomate wine list, awarded in 2013 by the NY Times as one of the best in NYC, and 3 stars in 2014 by the World of Fine Wine. It is not surprising that she has written for various prominent wine guides and books in France -- including Art of Eating and Wine & Spirits- and was featured in numerous food and wine publications -- NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator, Decanter, Wine & Spirits, Food & Wine, Saveur, The World of Fine Wines, La Revue des Vins de France, etc.

In May of 2014, Lepeltier passed the rigorous series of the Master Sommelier exams and joined an elite group of Master Sommeliers worldwide, becoming the 21sr woman to achieve the title since the examinations were first set in 1986 for the American Chapter of the CMS.

Now, with her exams behind her, Pascaline is sharing her knowledge with her colleagues, currently teaching wine for the Court of Master Sommeliers and the ICC.

Lepeltier also holds two Masters in Hospitality Management and “Management des Arts de la France” from Angers University – I.M.I.S.-Esthua.

Learn more about the Loire Valley with the French Wine Scholar study and certification program and Loire Master-Level program.