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Ontario welcomes 16 new CAPS Sommeliers
by Kim Gertler
This year’s CAPS graduation ceremony was held on November 17th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. In addition to the new graduate sommeliers, friends and family, CAPS board members and some prominent wine industry professionals were in attendance.
“What these graduates have accomplished is extraordinary and we honour them today for their perseverance, their enthusiasm and their courage. As many of them can tell you, the final exam, which they have all recently passed, took a remarkable amount of courage to attempt. They met a very high standard of excellence in technical, written exam. Subsequently, they meticulously performed the tasks of Sommelier in a live restaurant scenario for experts in the trade while being surprised with unusual questions and requests, having to make adjustments under high pressure. All of this to prepare them for the awesome task of Steward of Wine – a career that will never be routine and will always challenge.” – Sara d’Amato. CAPS Ontario President
Those gathered enjoyed spirited presentations from Sara d’Amato and James Pollock as well as a congratulatory message from CAPS national President Michelle McCarthy, conveyed by Michelle Paris.
After receiving their diplomas and pins, the new graduates enjoyed a toast of Canadian sparkling wine (Jackson-Triggs Brut Grand Reserve Entourage,) followed by a passionate presentation about volcanic wines of the world from Master Sommelier, John Szabo.
Congratulations and cheers to this year’s graduating CAPS sommeliers:
M.E. Lynn Abernethy, Ryan Fayle, Leslie Anne Harbinson, Madeleine K. Hayles, Ashley Ellen Martin, Robert Daniel Allie, Shari Fanson (Honours), Manuel Gonzalez, Shawna Kaufman (Honours), Edward Gary Killops, Leslie Meloche (Honours), Reuben van Nie, Nick Bertrand, Andrew McArthur, Astra Marchi and Robert Kidd.
Visit the CAPS Ontario Facebook page for more pictures from the event.
