Starting March 2017, Les Marchands resumed their acclaimed educational program with WINE WEDNESDAYS and SOMM TASTINGS, designed and created by new Retail Wine Manager Jeremy Bohrer and General Manager and Advanced Sommelier Emily Johnston, respectively.
Weekly, Les Marchands offers WINE WEDNESDAYS, an informal way to taste wines among fellow wine lovers. The early evening wine flight tasting is hosted by Les Marchands Retail Manager Jeremy Bohrer in collaboration with importers and distributors of some of their favorite wines. Each week Les Marchands works with a different distributor or importer in presenting fresh flights of wines. Guests are invited to stop by after work to try something new and have the chance to purchase one of their favorite bottles from the retail store. Bohrer has assembled a starting lineup that includes tastings from Epic Wines with samples from Lebanon, Italy, France and Spain; Vance Erickson Imports specializing in French, Austrian and German wines; The Bradford Wine Group showcasing local Rising Star wines and small artisanal French producers; and WineWise with unique Austrian and German wines.
WINE WEDNESDAYS are scheduled from 4:00-6:00 p.m. and open to the public. Pricing is $15 per guest.
On the third Thursday of each month, Johnston will present SOMM TASTINGS at Les Marchands. The SOMM TASTINGS are guided educational events hosted by Advanced Sommelier Emily Johnston focused on understanding the nuances of a specific wine producing region or a particular grape. The tasting is comprised of flights of three or four wines to highlight classic styles and current trends. This is an opportunity for wine lovers of all experience levels to learn more about wine in the most enjoyable way possible. The first four months of tastings include wines from Austria, the Rhone Valley, a Lesson in Blind Tasting and White Burgundy.
Upcoming dates for SOMM TASTINGS are April 20, May 18 and June 15, 2017, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. The Tastings are open to the public and priced at $25 per guest.
“Tasting wines that speak to a region is not only a key study tool of mine, it can also be a method of transport to another place or time,” states Johnston. “I’m looking forward to getting to know more wine lovers in our community and sharing this experience.”
For further information and to make reservations contact Les Marchands at 805.284.0380 or email inquiries@lesmarchandswine.com. Space is limited.
WINE WEDNESDAYS
with Retail Wine Manager Jeremy Bohrer
March 29
Vance Erickson Imports
Specializing in French, Austrian and German wines
$15
April 5th
The Bradford Wine Group
Local wines by Rising Stars and small artisanal French producers
$15
April 12th
WineWise
Unique Austrian and German wines
$15
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THE SOMM TASTINGS
with Advanced Sommelier Emily Johnston
Les Marchands
April 20
Syrahs from the Rhone Valley
winding through the Northern and Southern Rhone Valley
to understand the nuances of this complex grape
3 wines $25
May 18
How to Blind Taste
curious to know the secrets behind recognizing
a wine from just a glance and a taste?
flight of blind wines $25
June 15
White Burgundy Tasting
3 wines $25
WINE WEDNESDAYS WITH JEREMY BOHRER
Every Wednesday from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.; continues indefinitely
$15
SOMM TASTINGS AT LES MARCHANDS WITH EMILY JOHNSTON
April 20, May 18 and June 15, 2017
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
$25
WHERE:
Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant
131 Anacapa Street, Ste. B, Santa Barbara, California 93101
At the Corner of Yanonali and Anacapa
For further information and to make reservations contact: 805.284.0380 or email inquiries@lesmarchandswine.com
About Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant
Awarded the “Wine Bar of the Year” by Imbibe, and one of the 21 Best Wine Bars in the country by Thrillist, Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant is led by a world-class team of certified sommeliers and wine professionals with more than 100 combined years of experience in the wine and hospitality industries. Hailing from some of the most prestigious restaurants and wine retailers from around the country, the Les Marchands team enthusiastically brings their love for and deep knowledge of wine to confidently guide each guest through an outstanding wine experience matching every palate and budget with wines to enjoy in the wine bar or to take home. Product knowledge and personalized service is lived out daily at Les Marchands and is incorporated into every phase of the business from private cellar consultation to custom tasting events to the wildly popular Les Marchands Wine Club. The wines curated by the sommeliers represent quality-conscious producers – imports are Eurocentric, from the most relevant producers in France, Italy, Austria, Germany, and beyond. On the domestic side, the focus relies heavily on local Santa Barbara County producers who are shaping and redefining the region. A full bar of handcrafted artisan spirits complements Les Marchands’ extensive wine program with classic stirred cocktails made in the old-school traditional way. These include such favorites as The Vesper, Hanky Panky or the Bijou just to name a few. Chef Weston’s bistro menu showcases seasonally inspired food for supper nightly from 5 pm, weekend brunch from 10am-2 pm and an extensive selection of cheese and charcuterie every afternoon from 2 pm-5 pm.
About Emily Johnston
Emily Johnston’s early training includes interning at Brander Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley followed by wine sales for a small Italian wine import company in Santa Barbara. Thoroughly inspired, Johnston left for Italy to study as a sommelier at ALMA Scuola Internazionale di Cucina’s Wine Academy where she received the highest academic honors in her class and achievement in Italian fluency. She became a Certified Sommelier with the Associazione Italiana Sommeliers (AIS) in 2011 while working alongside AIS Master Sommelier, Roberto Jacquemod Pane. Johnston became a Certified Advanced Level Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2016. Before arriving at Les Marchands as General Manager in 2017, Johnston served as Wine Director/Sommelier for the Toscana Restaurant Group overseeing the wine programs at four operations – Toscana, Bar Toscana, S.Y. Kitchen and Nerano for four years. At Les Marchands, she oversees the wine bar’s ever-changing menu of selections, educational programs and retail offerings. In 2015, she was awarded Zagat’s “30 Under 30” award for young talent to be watched in the hospitality industry.
About Jeremy Bohrer
Jeremy Bohrer is a veteran wine and spirits professional with over seventeen years working the vast wine world, including wholesale, retail, restaurant and production endeavors. His early experience as a wine rep for Constantine Wines, led him to California in 2000. He worked as a manager at Bacchus, a small family owned wine shop in Manhattan Beach and was a manager at Trader Joe’s where Bohrer was in charge of overseeing the wine sections of multiple locations and developed “Wine 101,” a course that was used to train company employees throughout California. His other roles include eight years with K&L Wine Merchants as the Burgundy Department liaison. In 2014, Bohrer opened his own small business, Still, a retail space devoted to the art of cocktail craftsmanship. Still sold all things cocktail related, from mixers and bitters, to shakers and vintage barware. The following year Bohrer also opened his own wine bar, Five & ¼, which focused solely on Old World wines France, Spain, Italy, and more unfamiliar regions like Croatia, Slovenia, Georgia and Hungary. As Retail Wine Manager for Les Marchands, Jeremy Bohrer brings his wealth of knowledge and passion for all things wine to the operation.
For further information on Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant visit:
www.lesmarchandswine.com
Become a fan of Les Marchands on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LesMarchandsWine
Follow Les Marchands on Twitter: @lesmarchandssb
