One of the top social media influencers in North America’s wine industry will be at Okanagan College’s Kelowna campus on November 12, 2018 to launch SOMM3, the latest edition of the cult wine film series. Madeline Puckette, author and illustrator of Wine Folly’s blog and books, was recently ranked just behind Decanter magazine by Social Vignerons (an online hub for wine industry news) for her influence on social media. With her popular illustrations and distilled wine information, Puckette’s graphical educational tools make it easy for anyone to learn about wine. Puckette narrated SOMM3, a provocative wine film featuring Decanter editor Steven Spurrier, renowned master sommelier Fred Dame, and wine critic Jancis Robinson.
The original SOMM is the most viewed wine film on Netflix to date. Okanagan wine lovers will be able to catch a sneak peak of SOMM3 in the OC Kelowna campus lecture theatre on November 12. Guests can enjoy wine (INCLUDING NICHE!) starting at 6 p.m.; the film screening will commence at 7 p.m. The film isn’t yet available online. Local social enterprise Start Fresh Kitchen is hosting the SOMM3 film release party, which will include a book signing with Puckette, garagiste wine tasting and local small bites direct from the Start Fresh Farm.
“The film release is a great opportunity for our culinary and wine community to come together and geek out about wine,” states chef Micheal Buffet, owner of Start Fresh Kitchen. “Okanagan College is proud to sponsor this event and bring SOMM3 to the Okanagan, because the wine industry is of critical importance to the communities we serve,” states Jonathan Rouse, Director of Food, Wine and Tourism at Okanagan College. “It’s important to reflect on our industry’s history to shape the future of wine.”
Tickets are available online at StartFreshKitchen.ca (head to the Calendar to find the event). Tickets are $38 each and include film admission, wine tastings and small bites. Learn more on theFacebook event page. Proceeds from the evening will benefit Start Fresh’s culinary and farming employment projects.
In 1976, Steven Spurrier held the Judgment of Paris, a blind tasting where American wines beat out the classic French wines and put wine on a global platform. Wine critics like Jancis Robinson, one of the most prolific wine writers, started to influence what wine people drank. And then there’s Fred Dame, father of the restaurant wine list and the man that made the sommelier profession what it is today. In SOMM 3, these three legends of the industry sit down in Paris to taste the rarest bottles of their careers. Meanwhile, Dustin Wilson gathers the greatest blind tasters of today in New York City for a secret tasting similar to the original Judgment of Paris, with the goal to see if any of the world’s Pinot Noirs can stand up to the greatest Burgundies of France. In the end, both tastings cross with results that could change the world of wine forever.
Once electronica producer and graphic designer, Court of Masters certified sommelier Madeline Puckette seamlessly blends art and wine into North America’s most popular wine blog. Puckette co-founded the Wine Folly website in 2011, and has since grown Wine Folly’s social media extensions and newsletter into some of the most popular wine resources on the planet. Puckette’s most recent book, “Wine Folly: Magnum Edition,” was in the top 100 books on Amazon the day it was released, and is considered a must-have resource for wine lovers.
In early 2016, Start Fresh Kitchen took root with founder chef Michael Buffett in the central Okanagan. A chef on a simple mission, Buffett and his team began facilitating culinary education programming to inspire people about food. Recognizing a greater need within local social service organizations, the non-profit program has now expanded to include teaching of employment and necessary life skills, while creating access to long-term meaningful employment. Talented chefs throughout the community bring the same knowledge and skills into the spotlight of a collaborative, community-based kitchen. Start Fresh runs a small cafe in Landmark 2, caters events, and facilitates boutique cooking and wine tasting classes.
Okanagan College’s programs in Culinary Arts, Tourism and Hospitality and Viticulture and Wine Studies reflect the Okanagan Valley’s natural environment and focus on a quality learning experience that connects you with the people and places that make the Okanagan one of the leading food and wine destinations in North America. The Okanagan College learning model delivers industry-relevant real-world education from day one. Mixing a sound theoretical foundation with practical hands-on applied learning gives students the skills and savvy to hit the ground running. Okanagan College delivers quality education that ensures rewarding careers for graduates and a rich and sustainable future for the region and its communities. Okanagan College offers studies in viticulture, wine sales and winery assistant, and hosts the B.C. Wine Information Society Sensory Centre in Penticton, BC.