Get To Know Great Wines At Inaugural Tasting Event In Oakland

by Michael P Coleman

Whether you are a wine enthusiast or are just starting your journey, wine is meant to be enjoyed. A new organization, Les-Sommeliers, is paving the way with a Black History Month event at The Alice Collective in Oakland on February 15 from 4-7:30pm.

Les-Sommeliers is an organization of sommeliers for some of the Bay Area’s best restaurants. They want to connect top wine brands with today’s diverse wine consumers, specifically African Americans, Latinos, and Asians.

Now, admit it: you Google’d “sommelier.”  I did! It’s pronounced So-mell-ee-AY.  I’m relatively new to wine, having shifted my focus from the beer and spirits which had been more popular with my family and friends. I know good wine when I taste it — I just don’t immediately know where to find it. That’s where Morancy and Les-Sommeliers come in.

If you didn’t Google it, a “sommelier” is simply a wine steward, someone who knows wines inside and out, and who takes pleasure in welcoming others into the fold.

Ruben Morancy is Les-Sommeliers’ founder. He has been a sommelier for more than 15 years.

“I founded Les-Sommeliers having noticed that most events and wine marketers had been mostly focused on a mainstream, elite consumer,” Morancy said. “We want to change that.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

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