The 4th Annual WINE RIVAL (formerly Somm Madness) returns on Sunday, August 29, 2021, to award the 2021 title of WINE RIVAL Champion at Radius Chicago (640 W Cermak, Chicago, IL 60616). Tickets are $50 and the evening includes a Tailgate Tasting from 5pm-8pm and the WINE RIVAL Tasting Tournament from 6pm-9pm. The event is hosted by Adam Sweders, creator of WINE RIVAL and Sommelier Jon McDaniel (Food & Wine’s 2018 Sommelier of the Year). This year’s event will also feature Jim Nantz, the announcer for the Super Bowl, March Madness, The Masters, and many more sporting events.
WINE RIVAL brings together the nation’s sommelier community and wine aficionados for a blind tasting tournament. Sixty-four individuals will go head-to-head to advance to the championship round with the hope of taking home the grand prize: $20,000 cash. New in 2021, there is a $3,000 cash prize for the runner-up and a $1,000 cash prize to the final four contestants, bringing the grand total to $25,000 in cash prizes.
At 5pm, the event kicks off with an over-the-top Tailgate Tasting, the pre-party to the main event that will run through the first half of the competition until 7:30pm. Ticket holders will have access to more than 400 wines in a walk-around tasting as well as a display of bites provided by Siena Tavern & Chef Fabio Viviani, who will be at the event mixing and mingling with guests. Guests will sample from wineries that include Silver Oak, Santa Margarita, Justin, Heitz, and more. At 6pm, the WINE RIVAL Tournament begins. All ticket holders can watch the tournament while the 64 registered competitors try their luck at the tasting tournament led by the judges.
While ticket holders look on, each competitor will partake in a blind taste test, tournament-style, and have a specified amount of time to provide written answers following CMS Standards. The winner will advance to the next round, similar to March Madness. For a chance to compete in the 4th Annual WINE RIVAL Tournament, visit https://winerival.com/compete/. Registration is open July 1 at Noon and final seedings will be announced on August 22, 2021. General admission tickets can be purchased here.
ROUND 1: 64
32 Matches • 1 Wine • 90 seconds
ROUND 2: 32
16 Matches • 1 Wine • 90 seconds
ROUND 3: SWEET 16
8 Matches • 2 Wines • 3 minutes
ROUND 4: ELITE 8
4 Matches • 2 Wines • 3 minutes
ROUND 5: FINAL 4*
2 Matches • 2 Wines • 3 minutes
ROUND 6: CHAMPIONSHIP*
1 Match • 2 Wines • 3 minutes
*Participants must provide answers verbally in accordance with CMS Standards. All contestants and spectators must purchase a Tailgate Tasting ticket.
André Mack will be the Featured Sommelier at this year’s event. He is the first African-American to be named Best Young Sommelier in America by Chaine des Rotisseurs and has worked at restaurants like Per Se and French Laundry. He has been featured in multiple TV shows (Anthony Bourdain’s “The Taste” & NBC’s “Uncorked”), is the proprietor of Maison Noir Wines (Oregon), and runs his own hospitality group in Brooklyn, NY. He has worked with the likes of Amazon, Cadillac, eBay, National Rental Car, and Microsoft.
Event Judges
DLYNN PROCTOR - DLynn Proctor has been a figure in the wine industry for 20 years. As a winery executive, DLynn has spent the last decade in global leadership roles with Penfolds Winery and Fantesca Estate & Winery, focusing on import/export, sales, marketing, strategy, and consumer relations. The previous decade of his career, he has built restaurant and training programs, private client and retail wine lists, and expanding new venue operations. DLynn has appeared on TV and films including the wine documentary series, SOMM and SOMMTV, as well as work as Associate Producer in Netflix’s feature film, Uncorked—which have earned him recognition as “Somm to the Stars”. DLynn is also the Co-Founder of Wine Unify, a non-profit organization that provides funding, mentorship, and access for underrepresented minorities in the food & beverage industry.
AMELIA SINGER, INTERNATIONAL WINE INFLUENCER + TV PERSONALITY - Wine Communicator and Educator. HULU TV presenter on The Wine Show. Previous Wine Writer for the UK’ s Food Magazine (Waitrose). UK Ambassador for the California Wine Institute. Founder of Amelia’s Wine – an event and media business which offers a range of original, fun, helpful and relatable wine experiences and content. IWSC and WSET Future 50 Award Winner which recognizes innovative and influential drink industry talent from all around the world.
JOHN LALOGANES, AUTHOR & DIRECTOR OF BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT, KENDALL COLLEGE - ACP 2012’s “Sommelier/Wine Steward of the Year.” Founder and educator of Kendall’s Wine Professional Program. Laureate Global Products & Services Award for Innovation. Beverage Book Judge for International Association of Culinary Professionals. Author of highly-acclaimed books such as The Essentials of Wine & Food Pairing Techniques and more.
JOSEPH SPELLMAN, MASTER SOMMELIER - Frequent instructor + examiner in Court of Master Sommeliers. Named “Best Sommelier in the World in French Wines & Spirits” and 1998’s Bon Appetit “Wine & Spirits Professional of the Year.” Contributor to Wine & Spirits, Wine Enthusiast, Sante, Decanter, and Appellation.
Like last year, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the James Beard Foundation's Impact Programs. The JBF Impact Programs are committed to establishing a more sustainable food system through education, advocacy, and thought leadership. In 2019, the event raised more than $7,000 for the foundation. This year, $10,000 will be donated to the foundation.
Tickets are $50 each. All contestants and spectators must purchase a Tailgate Tasting ticket to attend. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://winerival.com.
Creators of the 4th Annual WINE RIVAL event are showing their appreciation for local Chicago Police Department & Chicago Fire Department employees this year. While supplies last, members of the CFD & CPD can use the code APPRECIATION during online checkout for 2 FREE tickets to the event.
“We appreciate what the CPD and CFD do for us on a daily basis. Any chance we have to show our appreciation back we should be doing” - Adam Sweders, Creator, WINE RIVAL.
The 4th Annual WINE RIVAL (formerly Somm Madness) returns on Sunday, August 29, 2021, to award the 2021 title of WINE RIVAL Champion at Radius Chicago (640 W Cermak, Chicago, IL 60616). Tickets are $50 and the evening includes a Tailgate Tasting from 5pm-8pm and the WINE RIVAL Tasting Tournament from 6pm-9pm. The event is hosted by Adam Sweders, creator of WINE RIVAL and Sommelier Jon McDaniel (Food & Wine’s 2018 Sommelier of the Year). This year’s event will also feature Jim Nantz, the announcer for the Super Bowl, March Madness, The Masters, and many more sporting events.
WINE RIVAL brings together the nation’s sommelier community and wine aficionados for a blind tasting tournament. Sixty-four individuals will go head-to-head to advance to the championship round with the hope of taking home the grand prize: $20,000 cash. New in 2021, there is a $3,000 cash prize for the runner-up and a $1,000 cash prize to the final four contestants, bringing the grand total to $25,000 in cash prizes.
At 5pm, the event kicks off with an over-the-top Tailgate Tasting, the pre-party to the main event that will run through the first half of the competition until 7:30pm. Ticket holders will have access to more than 400 wines in a walk-around tasting as well as a display of bites provided by Siena Tavern & Chef Fabio Viviani, who will be at the event mixing and mingling with guests. Guests will sample from wineries that include Silver Oak, Santa Margarita, Justin, Heitz, and more. At 6pm, the WINE RIVAL Tournament begins. All ticket holders can watch the tournament while the 64 registered competitors try their luck at the tasting tournament led by the judges.
While ticket holders look on, each competitor will partake in a blind taste test, tournament-style, and have a specified amount of time to provide written answers following CMS Standards. The winner will advance to the next round, similar to March Madness. For a chance to compete in the 4th Annual WINE RIVAL Tournament, visit https://winerival.com/compete/. Registration is open July 1 at Noon and final seedings will be announced on August 22, 2021. General admission tickets can be purchased here.
ROUND 1: 64
32 Matches • 1 Wine • 90 seconds
ROUND 2: 32
16 Matches • 1 Wine • 90 seconds
ROUND 3: SWEET 16
8 Matches • 2 Wines • 3 minutes
ROUND 4: ELITE 8
4 Matches • 2 Wines • 3 minutes
ROUND 5: FINAL 4*
2 Matches • 2 Wines • 3 minutes
ROUND 6: CHAMPIONSHIP*
1 Match • 2 Wines • 3 minutes
*Participants must provide answers verbally in accordance with CMS Standards. All contestants and spectators must purchase a Tailgate Tasting ticket.
André Mack will be the Featured Sommelier at this year’s event. He is the first African-American to be named Best Young Sommelier in America by Chaine des Rotisseurs and has worked at restaurants like Per Se and French Laundry. He has been featured in multiple TV shows (Anthony Bourdain’s “The Taste” & NBC’s “Uncorked”), is the proprietor of Maison Noir Wines (Oregon), and runs his own hospitality group in Brooklyn, NY. He has worked with the likes of Amazon, Cadillac, eBay, National Rental Car, and Microsoft.
Event Judges
DLYNN PROCTOR - DLynn Proctor has been a figure in the wine industry for 20 years. As a winery executive, DLynn has spent the last decade in global leadership roles with Penfolds Winery and Fantesca Estate & Winery, focusing on import/export, sales, marketing, strategy, and consumer relations. The previous decade of his career, he has built restaurant and training programs, private client and retail wine lists, and expanding new venue operations. DLynn has appeared on TV and films including the wine documentary series, SOMM and SOMMTV, as well as work as Associate Producer in Netflix’s feature film, Uncorked—which have earned him recognition as “Somm to the Stars”. DLynn is also the Co-Founder of Wine Unify, a non-profit organization that provides funding, mentorship, and access for underrepresented minorities in the food & beverage industry.
AMELIA SINGER, INTERNATIONAL WINE INFLUENCER + TV PERSONALITY - Wine Communicator and Educator. HULU TV presenter on The Wine Show. Previous Wine Writer for the UK’ s Food Magazine (Waitrose). UK Ambassador for the California Wine Institute. Founder of Amelia’s Wine – an event and media business which offers a range of original, fun, helpful and relatable wine experiences and content. IWSC and WSET Future 50 Award Winner which recognizes innovative and influential drink industry talent from all around the world.
JOHN LALOGANES, AUTHOR & DIRECTOR OF BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT, KENDALL COLLEGE - ACP 2012’s “Sommelier/Wine Steward of the Year.” Founder and educator of Kendall’s Wine Professional Program. Laureate Global Products & Services Award for Innovation. Beverage Book Judge for International Association of Culinary Professionals. Author of highly-acclaimed books such as The Essentials of Wine & Food Pairing Techniques and more.
JOSEPH SPELLMAN, MASTER SOMMELIER - Frequent instructor + examiner in Court of Master Sommeliers. Named “Best Sommelier in the World in French Wines & Spirits” and 1998’s Bon Appetit “Wine & Spirits Professional of the Year.” Contributor to Wine & Spirits, Wine Enthusiast, Sante, Decanter, and Appellation.
Like last year, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the James Beard Foundation's Impact Programs. The JBF Impact Programs are committed to establishing a more sustainable food system through education, advocacy, and thought leadership. In 2019, the event raised more than $7,000 for the foundation. This year, $10,000 will be donated to the foundation.
Tickets are $50 each. All contestants and spectators must purchase a Tailgate Tasting ticket to attend. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://winerival.com.
Creators of the 4th Annual WINE RIVAL event are showing their appreciation for local Chicago Police Department & Chicago Fire Department employees this year. While supplies last, members of the CFD & CPD can use the code APPRECIATION during online checkout for 2 FREE tickets to the event.
“We appreciate what the CPD and CFD do for us on a daily basis. Any chance we have to show our appreciation back we should be doing” - Adam Sweders, Creator, WINE RIVAL.
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