The Texas Sommelier Association’s 8th annual international wine conference at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas ended last night. The closing ceremonies included the announcement that Ryan Tedder of FT33 Restaurant in Dallas is Texas’ Best Sommelier. The Texas’ Best Sommelier Competitions is run behind the scenes during the two-day conference organized by co-founders and Master Sommeliers Drew Hendricks and James Tidwell.
While wine experts gather for seminars on wide-ranging topics on wine, twenty-two sommeliers compete in a rigorous three-part wine examination involving service, blind tasting, and theory. The winner is picked by an elite panel of Master Sommelier judges.
Last night Ryan Tedder was the winning sommelier. Tedder has sniffed and swirled at Stephan Pyles and most recently Grace in Fort Worth. Tedder has joined Matt McCallister’s merry band of forward-thinking culinary rebels gathered together to open FT33 in the Design District this fall. Tedder received a scholarship of $2,500 from the Guild of Sommeliers Education Foundation to be used for a Court of Master Sommeliers certification program. David Keck of Uchi Restaurant Group in Houston was the second runner up and will receive a $1,500 scholarship from the Guild, and the 3rd place winner Steve Murphey of Mid-Stage Wine & Liquor in Plano will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Additionally, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, California will be offering scholarships to all three top placers.
