Heath Porter, Wine & Spirits Director for Sea Island Resorts in Sea Island, GA, recently passed the advanced level degree as administered by the Court of Master Sommeliers.

The three day test consists of hand written theory about wine and all beverages from around the world. The second part of the exam is service orientation along with food and wine pairing and oral theory, and the final part consists of blind tasting 6 wines and naming the grape varietal, vintage and region.

Porter grew up in a dry county in Alabama. After moving to Hawaii at age 18, he began reading about wine and attending tastings to develop his palate, all as a means to gain better shifts as a waiter and bartender. He quickly fell in love with the whole concept of food and wine and was a finalist in the 2004 Chaine des Rotisseurs  national young sommelier competition. Porter worked as a wine steward in Honolulu then rose to general manager and wine director at W Hotel’s Diamond Head Grill.

When he’s not assisting guests or facilitating special wine events, Porter contributes to various publications, orchestrates wine events for charities, or can be found searching the world’s great wine regions for new offerings.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 27th, 2009 at 9:15 am and is filed under News.