Last Week, Gerard Trained at Waterside Inn in Preparation for ASI World Sommelier Competition
For those who regularly read this blog, you will know that I was away for part of last week training in preparation for the competition in Chile. I cannot thank enough Alain and Michel Roux, joint proprietors of The Waterside Inn, director Diego Masciaga and Head Sommelier, Simone, for their time, considerable efforts and the warmest of welcomes that they all extended to me during my three days training at the Waterside in Bray.
I am always bowled over by the friendliness, the professionalism and the attention to detail that the Waterside Inn offers and I greatly appreciated the encouragement, the coaching and the enthusiasm that I was afforded by the whole team- Thank you all.
I am planning another busy week of studying, tasting and service training- I am off to London to train in a top, Michelin starred restaurant, with a formidable reputation and I am looking forward to meeting up with colleagues at Hotelympia, where I am taking part in wine lectures and presentations and, in the meantime, Nina continues to help with my study programme and training schedule and is putting me through my paces and ensuring I am on track….. her being involved in my preparation is very useful, as she has watched so many competitions over the years and understands the preparation required
I am, as many, dismayed to watch the desperately dreadful scenes unfolding in Chile, especially in Concepcion, where the recent earthquake seems to have had the most catastrophic effects. With the ever amazing advances in technology, television brings such crisis into our lives with such clarity and in the minutest detail, but even so it is hard to imagine how devastating such a natural disaster must be to all the people directly involved.
Of course, the World Sommelier Championship is due to take place in Chile, in April and as yet, understandably, there has been no information as to whether the competition will be able to go ahead as planned- we will await news, but in the meantime our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the Chilean people and to those families who have lost loved ones or are desperately searching for them.
Gerard
