At East v. West Somm Showdown, NYC Takes the Tastevin Trophy; Wine Rapper Debuts

Yesterday at Del Posto some of the country's finest palates went head-to-head at a blind taste-off hosted by Joe Bastianich and Jeff Zalaznick of Dine Private, along with Robert Bohr. In seven rounds of single-elimination blind tasting — punctuated by proprietary wine-themed hip hop by The Wine Rapper — the somms battled for their pride, honor, and a trip to Miami for two. In the end, it was a showdown between East and West, with Michael Madrigale of Bar Boulud facing off against Bobby Stuckey, a master sommelier who currently helms the list at Boulder, CO's Frasca Food & Wine.

In the end, only one could be victorious, and Madrigale, who lacked no intensity, took the win for NYC. Cheers erupted around the room as he hoisted his trophy, mounted with a resplendent silver tastevin (i.e. this on top of a trophy). For an inside look at a bunch of wine people, in their natural habitat, singing along to "Chateauneuf-du-Pape" set to Snoop Dogg's "Drop it Like It's Hot," please do check the video.

Video: The Wine Rapper

—Talia Baiocchi

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