bern's night
a night to remember
how we got there: sommlympics 2023
Back in December 2023, there was a little somm competition held in Atlanta called Sommlympics, a team event that tested service, theory, and tasting skills. As soon as the event was announced, teams formed quickly. My team, Grand Crew: Carignan My Wayward Son, immediately got to work with figuring out who was doing what, blind tasting practice, and service practice.
Come the day of the event and one of our teammates falls ill. We had to have three people on the team to compete or we would’ve forfeited the competition. So, the remaining two of us reached out to a shortlist of people who weren’t on a team, and thankfully, just a few hours before competing, we got our third person.
I should mention that the grand prize was a one-night stay at the Epicurean Tampa hotel and $1000 to Bern’s Steakhouse for a celebratory dinner.
umm, my team won.
That day was a blur and I’m not even sure how we pulled it off. I did the theory round and I was stumped by 90% of the questions. To be fair, these questions were either Master Somm-level or Master of Wine-level questions. I will now never forget Lacrima di Morro d’Alba.
bern’s night
We just got back from our weekend in Tampa and it was amazing. Really, I have no way to put into words how great it was. First of all, the Epicurean Hotel is gorgeous. Such a comfy space. Luckily, it is right across the street from Bern’s, so it made our journey home a lot easier.
We got a tour of the cellar, which was neat. They have such deep inventory on vintage wines, it’s insane.
Then we sit down to dinner. And three white wines served blind.
Oh, the somm team blinded us on every single wine. We had sent a wish list to Dustin a few weeks prior to our arrival, so that he could find some good options for us. Drinking them blind was a surprise, but of course a bunch of wine nerds were all into it. We got the grapes for the first three wines correct. Then the four reds threw us for a loop. There was a Barolo that straight up tasted like older Coonawarra Cab or something.
Oh, and the food was amazing. We had sooooo much food LOL.
Then the dessert room. Who doesn’t love a blind flight of fortifieds? Side note: if I am ever passionately telling everyone the difference between Fino and Manzanilla Sherry, it is time to cut me off.
All in all, it was an incredible experience. Many pictures were taken, but I won’t post them anywhere - I don’t want to take away the magic. Bern’s is something you have to experience for yourself. Take a few friends (6-10) down there, get an early reservation, and prepare to spend your night basking in bacchanalian joy.
A huge thanks to all of the sponsors who made this trip possible!
The Epicurean Hotel, Atlanta
The Epicurean Hotel, Tampa
Diane Carpenter, Ross Knoll Vineyard
Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth
Dustin French, Bern’s Steakhouse
Needless to say…
here’s to drinking older vintages with the best people and then recovering the next day at the pool with g&t’s and rosé,
- j