Professional Wine Competition

Kerri Cook, Tilted Platter Owner and Wine Professional moved from Connecticut to the Napa Valley to study wine at the Culinary Institute of America focusing on Professional Wine Study in 2002.
She worked in sales positions for several wineries and found her niche as a Wine, Beer and Spirits Buyer for Whole Foods Market. Over her 12-year career with Whole Foods, Kerri cultivated her knowledge and depth of understanding of cheese while being exposed to it daily and eventually became a specialist in wines and cheese from around the world.
She earned her 1 st level Sommelier and WSET ll certifications and is currently working toward her C.S.W.
She currently works for a small, family-owned winery, Trecini Winery. She continues to explore the world of being a professional wine and spirits judge as well as working to build Tilted Platter.
Tilted Platter offers Wine and Cheese pairing classes and events as well as custom charcuterie boards and grazing tables for any size gathering. It is a labor of love that allows Kerri to be creative and deliver wine education on a relatable, approachable and inviting level.

A Sonoma County resident, Debra Del Fiorentino has so many titles it’s hard to keep count: Sommelier, CWP, CSW, CCP, Founder & Owner of Spirited Magazine in association with Sonoma Media Investments, and Founder & President of Wine Competitions Management & Productions. She has been a wine educator at both Sonoma State University and College of Marin. In addition to being a wine judge, she is also a winemaker of award winning roses.

Freelance Wine Writer, A Year in Wine, Sacramento, CA
Mike Dunne is a freelance wine writer and consultant who divides his time between Sacramento and San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur. The former food editor, wine columnist and restaurant critic of The Sacramento Bee, he continues to contribute a weekly wine column to The Bee and its online platforms, including www.sacbee.com and www.sacwineregion.com. His blog - A Year in Wine - also is a partner in The Bee’s online community of Northern California bloggers, Sacramento Connect. Mike contributed the Inland California and Mexico chapters to the recently published book "Opus Vino," and is at work on a spinoff about outstanding everyday value wines.

Rick Fraga is currently enjoying a semi-retired lifestyle, pursuing travel and other activities. After working over 25 years following his passion for wine, Rick has slowed down
and now is doing a small bit of consulting. He is sharing his knowledge and experience
in wine sales, the hospitality experience and wine education. His wine experience includes hospitality, education, cellar work and sales for wineries including Konrad, Fife,
Greenwood Ridge, Dutcher Crossing, Acorn, Stryker-Sonoma, Martinelli, Robert Young,
Roadhouse, Wilson, Copain, Deloach and Pellegrini!
Included in Rick’s experiences are time as a professional wine judge. Over the last 10
years he has participated as a judge in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition,
The Pacific Rim Wine Competition, The Rose Competition, the Lake County Wine Competition and the Alameda County Wine Competition.
Leading to this current segment of his life, Rick had a 25 year career in Telecommunications Management, retiring from AT&T in 2005. His telecom career followed three years
in the US army and a college degree at CSU, Chico. Rick is a proud father of three
grown sons and grandfather to four beautiful little girls. His frequent advice to others is
“Life is too short to drink bad wine!”
If you would like to contact Rick he can be reached at gatewaytowine@gmail.com.

Pat Henderson is a veteran with more than thirty years of wine making experience and has been the chief winemaker for Kenwood vineyards, Valley of the Moon Winery and Hedges Cellars. He currently works as a wine making consultant and wine educator in the Sonoma Valley. In addition to his work making wine, he also taught wine making classes for many years at both Santa Rosa Junior College and VESTA. A graduate of the Viticulture and Enology program at the University of California at Davis Pat supplemented his formal education by interning at five different wineries while getting his degree. After graduation he worked in both the Napa and Sonoma valleys before taking his first position as head winemaker at Hedges Cellars in Washington State in 1995.

Bill Hayes is the Wine Category Manager the growing BevMo! Retail chain of 163 Stores throughout California, Arizona and Washington. With over 33 years of career experience in the Wine Retail industry, Bill has developed key relationships with winery Owners, Winemakers, Growers as well as other industry partners that have cultivated his vast knowledge of and passion for Wines around the world.
Bill’s career in the Wine business began as a Buyer with the Liquor Barn stores. Bill was also a part of the Kendall-Jackson Family Wine organization where he managed the Distributor portfolio that included Kendall-Jackson, La Crema, Cambria and Stonestreet Wines. In 1994 Bill joined BevMo! as one of its very first employees as the Corporate Wine Buyer. He has played key roles in the development, launching and fostering of BevMo!’s iconic 5₵ Wine Sale that has grown from one Wine to now over two-hundred. As part of the BevMo! Private Label/Exclusive Wine program, Bill has traveled throughout Europe and South America to work with Wineries and industry partners to blend and bottle Import Wines such as Zolo and Tapiz, and has blended and developed varietal extensions of the Unruly , Shiloh Road and Stateland Cellars brands. Bill’s current focus with BevMo! is sourcing and developing the premium selection of wines from around the world and promote the local brands for the next-generation BevMo! Consumer.

Barry has more than three decades of experience in the wine industry, ranging from sommelier and wine shop owner to high-level retail and private cellar acquisitions. He was raised in Southern California, where he earned his stripes in some of LA’s most celebrated restaurants, among them Chinois on Main and Osteria Angelini. Most recently, Barry was General Manager of the Rare Wine Company in Sonoma, as well as working with Soutirage and Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Spirits in Napa Valley. Currently, he is the wine buyer for Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa, CA, a 15,000 square foot superstore and arguably has the largest and finest selection of fine wines north of San Francisco. Barry blames a bottle of 1980 Jayer Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux for having sent him down the rabbit hole many years ago. Today, he lives in Petaluma, CA with his wife, two children and Australian Shepherd, Elvis, to whom he happily dedicates every spare moment outside of work.

Born and raised in Los Gatos, California, Jennifer Jespersen enjoyed early exposure to the world of food and wine courtesy of her parents, who are wine collectors and culinary enthusiasts. Jennifer studied Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, and is a Certified Wine Professional through the CIA, as well as a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. She is currently pursuing her Advanced Sommelier certification.

Dan Kosta was born in Santa Rosa, CA, in the heart of the Sonoma County Wine Country. His lifelong love of food and wine led him to a career in the restaurant industry beginning in high school, utilizing skills learned as a child to navigate through a series of world class restaurants as a backwaiter, waiter, bartender, maître d’, operations manager and finally as wine director at the acclaimed John Ash & Company in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. It was there that Dan and his business partner Michael Browne founded Kosta Browne Winery in 1997. Over the last two decades, Kosta Browne Winery has enjoyed tremendous success, rising as one of the leading Pinot Noir producers in the United States. With Dan’s legacy intact and Kosta Browne Winery in the rear view mirror, he, along with the Lagasse Family, launched AldenAlli with the 2013 vintage. Dan is enjoying participating with the other family members to create a unique, intimate winemaking experience, reminiscent of the beginning days of Kosta Browne. He continues to be an active board member for several philanthropic organizations, including the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, as well as sitting on the Sonoma County Vintners board. In his spare time, Dan enjoys his family and supports the athletic and artistic hobbies of his children Mazie (13), Maggie (10) and Sean (9).

Ellen is a published Wine Writer, Certified Sommelier, Certified Wine Specialist, Wine Educator and Professional Wine Judge. She is the author of the blog EllenOnWine.com and writes for the AWS Wine Journal (AmericanWineSociety.org) among other publications.
Ellen is a moderator for the highly acclaimed Vintner’s Holidays annual event at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, and participates as a key speaker, moderator and panelist at various other wine events. For the past sixteen plus years, she and husband Ken co-owned award winning Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn where Ellen served as Wine Director and Sommelier. They recently sold their Inn to devote more time to the world of wine. Ellen was also a Sommelier at the Ritz Carlton for several years. Ellen has traveled many wine regions throughout North America including California, Oregon, Washington, Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, Connecticut, New Mexico, Arizona, New York and Canada, and several international wine regions including Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, Rhone, Tuscany, and wine regions throughout Spain, Portugal, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

Napa Valley resident, Ann Littlefield fell in love with wine during college years in Europe. A longtime international industry veteran and professional international wine and spirits judge, she specializes in new market development. Pioneering various facets of the international wine business, Ann’s diverse focus includes marketing, buying, selling and teaching in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Ann launched and developed a successful company to market and sell wines of the world to the international airline industry. She went on to create global wine sourcing and corporate wine programs for the leading Internet wine retailers.
Ann judges in many prestigious wine and spirits competitions, including Los Angeles International, San Francisco International Wine, San Francisco International Spirits, Riverside International, Dallas Morning News International, San Francisco Chronicle, Long Beach International, New World International, Pacific Rim International, San Diego International, The New York Wine Classic, Sonoma County Harvest Fair, Mendocino County, Monterey International and Tri Cities Washington State.

Laura Ness is an avid wine journalist with a deep respect for the many hands behind the myth and reality of wine. Every aspect of wine is infused with stories, and telling those stories in a compelling way has become her passion.

A visit to France shortly after college imprinted the concept of terroir indelibly as she tasted wines in the very towns that bear their names. Sancerre, Chinon and Vouvray were not just wines, they were actual places: places you could taste.
Laura’s wine obsession eventually led her from high tech communications to the wine industry, where she is the wine columnist for Spirited and Los Gatos magazines, as well as several Bay Area newspapers. She also writes regularly for industry and consumer publications like Edible: Monterey, Wine Business Monthly, Wine Industry Network, and WineOh.Tv. She judges wine competitions throughout California and enjoys playing “wine concierge” for people seeking out wineries and experiences that provide a unique sense of place.

Deborah Parker Wong, DWSET is Global Wine Editor for sister publications the SOMM Journal and The Tasting Panel magazines. In 2018 she was appointed California Editor for the Slow Food Slow Wine Guide which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2018. Deborah teaches as an adjunct professor in the Wine Studies departments at Santa Rosa Junior College and Cabrillo College and she owns a Wine & Spirit Education Trust school offering Level 2 and Level 3 certifications. In addition to writing and speaking about wine, she consults to producer groups, judges wine competitions and scores wine for Planet Grape Wine Review. Her motto is: To learn, read. To know, write. To master, teach.

Currently wine steward at Safeway Stores, Greg has a broad background in the wine and spirits marketplace. His experience includes management in hospitality, marketing, production and business modeling. Greg is WSET certified and has been an accredited judge for the past eight years.

Christopher Sawyer is an internationally-renowned sommelier, wine judge, consultant, wine journalist and public speaker. Voted Best Sommelier of Sonoma County 2020 by Bohemian Magazine for the seventh consecutive year, he is also a recipient of many more prestigious awards and industry honors. To enjoy his wine adventures follow his Blog The Sommelier Files & YouTube Channel featuring The Varietal Show!

Dr. Liz Thach, MW (pronounced “tosh”) is the Distinguished Professor of Wine and a Professor of Management at Sonoma State University where she teaches in both the undergraduate and Wine MBA programs. Liz’s passion is wine, and she has visited most of the major wine regions of the world and more than 37 countries. In addition, she is an award-winning author who has published over 130 articles and 8 wine books, including Call of the Vine, Best Practices in Global Wine Tourism and Wine Marketing & Sales. A fifth-generation Californian, Liz finished her Ph.D. at Texas A&M and now lives on Sonoma Mountain where she tends a small hobby vineyard and makes pinot noir wine. She also works as a wine judge in various competitions, and has served on many non-profit wine boards. Liz obtained the distinction of Master of Wine (MW) in May of 2011.

Retired Sommelier, Radio Talkshow Host, Rohnert Park, CA
The Equus Restaurant wine list was judged “Best of Show” in the 1995 and 1998 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. The gallery of Sonoma County wines, nearly 300 bottles hand-picked by their winemakers, sets the tone–wine country splendor in a classic setting. Larry Van Aalst, Equus Sommelier, has been selecting wines for Equus for over a decade. Larry has been judging at the Cloverdale Citrus Fair/San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for over a decade likewise, an opportunity for Larry to keep abreast of fine wines from California.

Evan Williams is a restaurateur with fifty-seven years of experience in the business, 42 in management and 32 as an owner. Currently he and his wife and partner, Candice, are owners of Evan’s American Gourmet Cafe located in South Lake Tahoe, CA. Evan has worked in virtually every possible position in the restaurant business, front of the house and back as well, from Busser to Waiter, Captain, Maitre d’ Hotel, Food and Beverage Director at a Five Star Resort, Chef de Cuisine, Sommelier and Proprietor and has been a wine buyer for 42 years and a Commercial Wine Competition Judge for 30 years. Evan’s American Gourmet Café is the top rated fine dining restaurant in South Lake Tahoe and the only DiRoNA Award recipient in the entire Tahoe/Truckee region.