This just in: I’ll be leading the last tasting of my Franciacorta Real Story campaign on Monday, November 14 in Atlanta at a super cool wine shop there, Le Caveau. Please join me! Click here for details.

Above: like me, Sotto’s new wine director Christine Veys attended U.C.L.A. She was featured this summer in U.C.L.A. Magazine. Click here to check out the profile.

I’m about to board a flight from LAX to Houston after leading a super fun wine tasting last night at Sotto where I’ve consulted on the wine list for more than 5 years now.

Not only did we present our new by-the-glass program (“Piedmont: anything but Barolo and Barbaresco”) but we also introduced the restaurant’s new wine director, my good friend and colleague Christine Veys (above).

Christine started as a server when the restaurant first opened (it seems so long ago now!) and it was clear from the beginning that she had a true gift for tasting and describing wine.

A few years ago, she became the wine program manager and she and I have collaborated on the list since that time with great results.

It was high time that she be given the title of wine director: even though I’ve been consulting and doing wine education and some writing and research for the restaurant, she’s been running the list for quite a while and she has really shaped the program into something special (both in terms of sales and personality).

I’m staying on as a consultant with the restaurant and Christine and I will be co-authoring the new list for the group’s newest project, Rossoblu, which is slated to open later this year in downtown LA. We are SUPER excited about that.

Congratulations, Christine! Mazel tov! I knew from the first time we tasted together that you were destined to become a top wine professional. I love working with you and couldn’t have a better partner in crime.

Now it’s time to get my butt back to Texas… Thanks to everyone who came out to taste with me last night and thanks again to Paolo Cantele for tagging along on my crazy adventures between Burgundy in Boulder and Piedmont in LA! Wish me speed!