TIM MCDONALD
Wine Consultant
Wine Spoken Here, Napa Valley
Based in Napa Valley, Tim McDonald founded a full service marketing
communications consulting company in 2006, Wine Spoken Here. As a 30
year wine industry veteran, Tim held positions with: E & J Gallo as Marketing
Director Fine Wine Communications, Peak Wines as V.P. of Marketing
& Communications, Director of Trade Relations with Trinchero Family
Estates, Heublein Wines as Director of Trade & Public Relations and sales
assignments with Seagram and Heublein.
WINE TASTING
COMPETITION JUDGES
TOM CAESTECKER, JR.
Chicago Editor
The Tasting Panel Magazine
Tom Caestecker, Jr., The Tasting Panel’s Chicago Editor, has been active
in the Wine & Spirits Industry for more than eight years – in Sales &
Marketing, Public Relations and Copywriting. He has written more than
300 articles and Op-Ed pieces for Chicago Tribune, Examiner.com and
trade publications. Tom holds a Master of Arts in U.S. History from DePaul
University, and has an Integrated Marketing Certificate from the University
of Chicago.
GIL LEMPERT-SCHWARTZ
Chairman
The Wine Institute of Las Vegas
Gil Lempert-Schwartz, who brings a wealth of wine knowledge to Southern
Nevada, founded The Wine Institute of Las Vegas (TWILV) in early 1999 to
serve as the premier wine education institution and consulting business in
Las Vegas .
Gil is originally from Denmark, spent over 10 years living and working in
Hong Kong and has 15+ years of Senior Management experience in the
beverage industry. He has also spent over 20 years refining his knowledge
and wine tasting skills, specializing in Bordeaux, through partnering in
the leadership of one of the most active chapters of the Commanderie
de Bordeaux in the world. Traveling to the major wine regions of the
world several times a year, he has in-depth knowledge and hands-on
experience with the making of wine, tasting and selling. Honored by the
most prestigious wine societies in France and an officer of the foremost
gastronomical society and its wine branch, he is the youngest person ever
to hold these distinctions simultaneously. He is the Wine Columnist for the
Las Vegas Review Journal and writes a weekly column on wine, which gives
the readers insight and knowledge of great value wines available in the local
retail market. He is also a Wine Columnist for Las Vegas Home & Design,
where he covers wine & spirits and the lifestyle that goes along with it. Gil
also writes articles on wine, Bordeaux and other related topics as a free
lance writer based in Las Vegas.
Tim has experience with all types of Media, National Accounts, Wholesale
Distributors, Restaurant, and Retail segments. Tim has served as a Wine
Judge at over 100 Wine Competitions here in North America and was
recently named Director of Judging for The San Francisco International
Wine Competition, where he has been a judge for over 12 years. Tim has
spoken frequently on assembled panels at Universities & many wine industry
events.
MICHAEL MUSER
General Manager & Partner
Grace
The son of a professional baseball player, Michael Muser grew up loving the
game, but had his sights set on a different sport, that of professional cycling.
Born in Chicago, Muser moved at a young age to California, where he was
introduced to the sport and began racing competitively as a teenager. Muser
will tell you those were the best years of his life, but the realization came
that a career as a cyclist wasn’t in the cards. However, as he was racing in
Northern California – this country’s greatest wine region – he also worked in
the vineyards, and after working his first harvest, he had found his new and
lifelong passion.
While studying history and theatre arts at California State University
Chico, Muser worked in area restaurants to support himself and took the
opportunity to learn more about wine. Upon graduation (1999), he studied
with the International Sommelier Guild (ISG), the only formal credentialed
wine program in the United States. Muser decided to take a hands-on
approach to his studies and left the classroom to spend time traveling
throughout Europe; he worked harvest in Burgundy and Champagne,
learning first-hand hand the winemaking process before coming to Chicago
to finish his last two years of training with the ISG. In Chicago, Muser
accepted a position as Sommelier and Wine Director for three of Lettuce
Entertain You, Enterprises restaurants, overseeing their wine lists in the
Chicago, Las Vegas, and Maryland properties.
After three years with LEYE, Muser joined The Peninsula Chicago (2006),
serving as Wine Director and Sommelier and building the beverage lists
for the hotel’s three restaurants, its bar and for all catering functions and
private events. He developed award winning wine lists and in 2011, Muser
was nominated “Best Sommelier” by the Jean Banchet Awards for his work
at Avenues, the Michelin two-star restaurant at The Peninsula; the following
year, he was honored with the award. Under Muser’s direction, Avenues was
also a three-time nominee for Outstanding Wine Service from the James
Beard Foundation Awards. At Avenues, Muser met chef Curtis Duffy, and in
2011 the two began plans to open Grace. Muser’s style is grounded and one
rooted in the winemaking process. He cites influence from award-winning
sommeliers Alpana Singh, Bob Bansberg, and Wayne Gotts, his mentor and
instructor at ISG.
At Grace, expect to see a list that caters to Duffy’s cuisine, echoing his
penchant for purity of ingredients. It will be focused on the Loire and
Rhone Valleys of France, regions known for wildly expressive wines that
are at the same time clean, pure, and honest. Muser lives in the West Loop
neighborhood of Chicago. In his free time, he’s exploring the world, on the
hunt for that next great bottle of wine.
GREGORY NASSER
Vice President
Ozumo Concepts International
Gregory Nasser was raised in the kitchen by a traditional Lebanese grandma
who taught him the specifics of flavor profiles. She passed at the age of 95
when Gregory was 15 years old, but she taught him that the reason to enjoy
an espresso with baklava in the afternoon was to enjoy the moments with
your family and friends. This has stuck with him for life.
Gregory was professionally trained at the aged of 16 by a Chilean Spanish
Chef who he was recommended to by a family friend. Gregory then went
on to cook for a catering company until he went off to the University
Of Colorado, where he studied Business Management. While in college,
Gregory went to Bartending school and fell in love with the flavors of the
bar and the amazing pairing abilities beverages have within your meal.
When Gregory returned to San Francisco, he became the Manager of Food
and Beverage for the San Francisco Giants. In 2005, he opened a restaurant
in Palo Alto, California called Mango Café- a Caribbean restaurant with a
great following. There Gregory earned his intuitive MBA in business. Gregory
sold the restaurant before the recession in March of 2008 and went on to
work for the Grand Café in the Hotel Monaco San Francisco as the AGM of
Food and Beverage. Gregory joined Ozumo Concepts as General Manager
in March of 2012 and worked his way up to Vice President of the company
overseeing 5 restaurants: Ozumo San Francisco, Ozumo Oakland, Usushi,
Sonoma Wine Garden, 41 Ocean Restaurant & Members Club.
JUNE RODIL
Director of Operations
q u i and East Side King
June Rodil is the Director of Operations of Top Chef and James Beard Award
winner, Paul Qui’s flagship restaurant, Qui, and the casual dining concept of
trailers, brick and mortars, and catering outlets, East Side King. June comes
from a wine background and has had the pleasure and honor of being
the Beverage Director for the acclaimed Uchi Restaurant Group as well as
Congress Austin. She relishes the perfect pairing and believes that this can
be accomplished when a chef and sommelier have mutual respect for each
other and have the same goal: happy guests.
June’s accolades include: Texas Best Sommelier 2009, Wine & Spirits
Magazine Best New Sommelier 2011, Star Chef’s Rising Star Sommelier 2012,
and was most recently named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Sommeliers
of the Year 2014. She is an Advanced Sommelier through the Court of
Master Sommeliers and remains diligent in her studies as she prepares for
the last level of examination.
ALOYS SCHEER
Restaurant Operations Manager
Finch and Fork Restaurant
After graduating from Johnson & Wales University in Denver, CO in 2005,
Aloys Scheer started his career with the Four Seasons George V as an MIT
working in their Gastronomy Restaurant Le V. He then went on to work
at the Four Seasons Los Angeles Beverly Hills as a food and beverage
manager, where he stayed till 2008. From 2008 to 2010, Aloys worked for
the Palm Restaurant as Wine Director and oversaw both wine programs
for the West Hollywood and downtown LA locations. During this time, he
also achieved his Level II Sommelier Certification from the International
Sommelier Guild. From there, Aloys moved on to the Miramar Hotel Santa
Monica where he was the Outlets Director and subsequently accepted the
position as the General Manager of One Pico at Shutters on the Beach in
Santa Monica. Aloys is currently the Operations Manager at the Canary Hotel
in Santa Barbara.
VANESSA TREVIÑO BOYD
Beverage Director
60 Degrees Mastercrafted
Vanessa Treviño Boyd “cut her wine teeth” in Chicago and in 2000
moved to New York where she managed wine lists for Japanese and
French restaurants—in particular Alain Ducasse at the St. Regis with an
1800-selection list, four Sommeliers, three NY Times stars and two Michelin
stars. Her work has been recognized in Food Arts, Santé, The New York
Times, The Houston Chronicle, Houston Press and Wine & Spirits where she
was a member of the import tasting panel for eight years. In April, 2012 she
was awarded ‘Best New Sommelier’ by Food & Wine magazine, in October
of that year was named ‘Houston’s Best Sommelier’ by Houston Press, and
in 2013 was awarded ‘Best Wine List’ again by Houston Press for her work
at Philippe Restaurant & Phil’s Wine Lounge. Vanessa has been a Guest
Sommelier at Wine Spectator’s New York Wine Experience, Pebble Beach
Food & Wine, Aspen Food & Wine, the International Pinot Noir Celebration
and most proudly at America’s celebration of the wines of Burgundy,
La Paulée. Vanessa holds an Advanced Certificate with the American
Sommelier Association and is the Beverage Director at 60 Degrees
Mastercrafted in Houston, Texas.
KEVIN M. VOGT MS
Wine & Spirits Director
Emeril’s Restaurants, Las Vegas
Master Sommelier Kevin M. Vogt is Wine Director for Chef Emeril Lagasse
in Las Vegas and has been working this organization since 1996. In 1999, Mr.
Vogt successfully passed the Master Sommelier Exam. Since 2000, Kevin
has been a judge for Anthony Dias Blue’s San Francisco International Wine
Competition, and a judge for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
He is a wine educator and public speaker and has taught college level wine
courses and lectured aboard Crystal Cruise Lines for their food and wine
festival events. In 2004, Delmonico Steakhouse became the 88th restaurant
in the world to achieve the Wine Spectator’s Grand Award. Kevin graduated
from UNLV with a degree in Hotel Administration in 1993.