| 2008 Jury
Members Barbara Hermann Leslie Sbrocco 2006 Jury Members Roger Dagorn Master Sommelier Roger Dagorn has been in charge of the wine program at New York’s famed Chanterelle restaurant since 1993. He has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, honored by Chefs in America as “Best Sommelier in New York,” and called the “Best Sommelier” by the New York Press. Roger represented the United States as a contestant in the International Concourse Mondial Des Sommeliers VI. He has served as a judge for Concours VIII and in both 1987 and 1988 he was the first runner up in the national finals of the “Best Sommelier of French Wine and Spirits.” Roger is a highly sought-after lecturer, acts as a consultant on wine lists and has written extensively about wine. He is an Adjunct Professor on Wine Education at the New York City College of Technology of CUNY. Barbara Hermann Since 1985, Barbara Hermann has directed the fine wine department at Chicago’s Binny’s Beverage Depot, one of the country’s best wine retailers twice recognized by Market Watch as “Retailer of the Year” (1991 and 1999).Today, she is responsible for selecting all wines from France, U.S., Italy and South America for the 19 Binny's stores in Chicago and suburbs. She is a six-time winner of the professional blind wine tasting contest sponsored annually for more than thirty years by Chicago’s Geja Restaurant. Leslie Sbrocco Leslie’s entertaining approach makes learning about wine and food fun. Her first book, Wine for Women: A Guide to Buying, Pairing and Sharing Wine (William Morrow), was excerpted by two national magazines - Redbook and Family Circle - and won the coveted Georges Duboeuf Best Wine Book of the Year award. Her second book, The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide, was released in October 2006 (William Morrow). As the Tasting Notes columnist for Epicurious.com and columnist for the highly-regarded Wine Review Online, Sbrocco's monthly musings are enjoyed by thousands. Leslie is currently the host of the PBS series Check Please! Bay Area, for which she won both the James Beard award and an Emmy award. She is a wine consultant for Virgin America and Kimpton Hotels. |