Love Wine? Attend TexSom on August 14. It’s the Best Wine Event of the Year

Two of the brightest stars in the wine universe are Hatch friends Drew Hendricks and James Tidwell. Six years ago, before the pair had passed their master sommelier exams, Hendricks and Tidwell founded TexSom, a two-day interactive program of lectures, guided wine tastings (you sip while an expert walks you through what’s in the glass), and the hands-down best evening of wine tastings all year. Who are the experts? Well, there’s Hendricks (a master sommelier at Pappas Bros.) and Tidwell (a master sommelier at the Four Seasons Dallas in Las Colinas, the host venue of TexSom). But there will also be more than a dozen other master sommeliers, plus wine makers and distributors. TexSom really has become one of the country’s preeminent wine conferences.

The event takes place Sunday, August 14 and Monday, August 15. And you don’t have to be in the “industry” to attend, either, though you’ll be sitting, swirling and sipping right next to restaurant sommeliers, winery workers and wine geeks.  Trust me: TexSom is a terrific event.

“Top notch wine education at affordable prices,” is how Hendricks put it. Sunday’s seminars are open to everyone:
Terroir Focus: Wines of Spain, Regional Diversity: South Africa, White Wines: Benchmark Styles of Modern Classics, Varietal Focus: Grenache, and Terroir Focus: Red Wines of Burgandy’s Cote d’Or. Each class features at least eight wines to taste and lasts one hour and fifteen minutes. An all-day pass costs $150 with lunch included.

Monday’s are restricted to members of the wine trade and media. Behind the scenes, Texas’ Best Sommelier will be chosen, too. (Last year’s winner, Jason Huerta, wrote about it here.)

This year, TexSom is expanding its focus a bit, offering a series of seminars on new media and Web journalism. A panel that includes  DMN‘s Kim Pierce and D Magazine’s Nancy Nichols will offer its take on how blogging and social media are changing the landscape of traditional print journalism.

The best seminar? That’s the grand tasting Monday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.. $75 buys you access to more than 150 really fine wines.

And since the entire event is held at the Four Season’s Resort in Las Colinas, you don’t even have to drive home.

Want to stay up-to-date with TexSom? Follow them on Twitter, @texsom.

The Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas is located in Irving, between Dallas and Fort Worth at 4150 North MacArthur Boulevard.  Valet parking or complimentary self-park is available. As part of Four Seasons Resort and Club’s Platinum Level Sponsorship, the resort offers rates of $135 to TEXSOM participants.  For booking, call reservations at 972-717-2499.

For more details and registration information, visit www.texsom.com.