We want to congratulate our co-founder, Chris Tanghe, on a very important recent achievement: Chris was awarded the prestigious Advanced Sommelier designation from the Court of Master Sommeliers in August of 2009!

The Green Pin

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The Advanced exam consists of three sections: blind tasting, service, and theory. It is famous for the difficulty of the questions asked and for the nerve-wracking situations candidates are subjected to; stories abound of many an eager candidate being filleted, grilled, poached, skewered, minced, macerated, and pickled by the Masters during the rigorous service portion of the exam. Oceans of sweat and tears have been shed while staring hopelessly at theory questions or sniffing away at a flight of stubborn, unyielding wines.  Chris managed to escape relatively un-scathed by maintaining his focus throughout all three sections.

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I personally attempted to grill, poach, skewer, etc., Chris in preparation for the exam, and while I have to admit that it was fun to watch him sweat a little, it was far more fulfilling to see him return from Chicago, where the exam was held, with a Green Pin on his lapel.

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Chris will keep the brow furrowed as he readies himself for the ridiculously difficult Master Sommelier exam. In the meantime, we raise our glasses to our freshly minted resident expert!