The award ceremony for the Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur Association new sommelier competition just crowned 2 ambassadors for their 7 wine appellations. Learn more about the winners in this release.
San Francisco, August 6th, 2019 – This was a first in the US. After launching their own sommelier competition in several countries (Belgium, Japan and China), the Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur Association just awarded 2 American contestants with the title of Bordeaux & Bordeaux Sup’s Sommelier of the Year.
After two days of presentations and masterclasses in addition to tasting and oral exams at San Francisco Wine School, the jury determined the 3 best candidates. For this first edition, all 3 first prizes were awarded to women! Announced by David Glancy, Master Sommelier and Director of San Francisco Wine School, together with Jean Reilly, Master of Wine and Certified Bordeaux Educator, the First Prize went to Ashley Broshious (Zero George Restaurant and Hotel, NC) and the Second Prize to Jienna Basaldu (The Morris, CA). They both become Bordeaux & Bordeaux Sup’s Sommeliers of the Year and will travel to Bordeaux. Jodi Bronchtein, sommelier at PRESS Restaurant, CA, was awarded the Third Prize, a Bordeaux Master-Level certification online program with Wine Scholar Guild.
The two laureates will travel to Bordeaux for a 5-day discovery trip that will allow them to discover the region and its terroir in depth. They will meet with local producers, visit vineyards and taste a large selection of wines from the 7 Bordeaux appellations covered by the Association. They will also meet the new generation of winemakers who are revitalizing the area and offering a fresh outlook on Bordeaux wine marketing, far removed from old clichés and intimidating traditions. By strengthening their knowledge of these wines, the association is counting on their US ambassadors to help them change American consumers’ perception of Bordeaux wines.
Ashley Broshious, First Prize
A North Carolina native, Ashley dropped her pre-med studies to attend the Culinary Institute of Charleston, becoming a Certified Sommelier at age 21. Ashley has worked at Blue by Eric Ripert, the Commissary (chef Traci des Jardins), the Acacia House (chef Chris Consentino) and Charlie Palmer Steak at the Archer Hotel in Napa, before heading back to Charleston, where she is the Manager and Wine Director for Zero George Restaurant and Hotel. In addition to her Advanced Sommelier certification, Ashley is a Certified Specialist of Wine, a Wine and Spirits Education Trust Diploma Candidate and a French Wine Scholar.
Jienna Basaldu, Second Prize
Jienna Basaldu is the Sommelier at the famed wine and chartreuse focused SF establishment The Morris. Working with a program boasting over 1,000 selections, Jienna prides herself on guiding San Francisco’s most savvy patrons on their beverage adventures. When she is not geeking out with her fellow professionals, drawing maps, or working the floor, she enjoys traveling the wine regions of the world.
Jodi Bronchtein, Third Prize
Jodi Bronchtein is a Sommelier at PRESS Restaurant in Napa Valley, California. She has worked for legendary wine programs, chefs, and restaurants in Fiji, Boston, and Charleston. Jodi is an Advanced Sommelier.
The Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur Association congratulates the 2019 winners, and everyone who participated in the competition. Stay tuned for the next edition of the competition! We also congratulate the two recipients of the SommFoundation Scholarship, who traveled from out of state to attend the competition: Ashley Broshious, Manager at Zero George Hotel and Restaurant in Charleston, SC and Tyler Newell, Sommelier at Aureole in New York, NY.
About Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur
The Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur association promotes in France and on its main exporting markets wines from 7 Bordeaux AOC (Protected Designations of Origin) : AOC Bordeaux blanc, Bordeaux Supérieur blanc, Bordeaux rosé, Bordeaux clairet, Bordeaux rouge, Bordeaux Supérieur rouge and Crémant de Bordeaux. It represents an area of 58 637 hectares (55% of the Bordeaux vineyard) and a production of around 2.8 million hectoliters and 384 million bottles (12 bottles sold every second worldwide). As a strong, dynamic and professional organization its role is to secure the future of these AOC, to guarantee their quality and authenticity, to communicate and promote its 4 890 members including winegrowers, trading houses and cooperative wineries
