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2009 Hudson Valley Wine Competition Judges
 
Lenn Thompson, Publisher and Editor
, LENNDEVOURS.comLenn, a proud Pittsburgh, PA native, moved to Long Island nearly a decade ago and promptly fellin love with the region's dynamic and emerging wine industry. An Internet marketing guru byprofession, he founded LENNDEVOURS.com in early 2004 to share his passion for the wines of New York with his friends, family and readers. In five short years, the blog has become thepremier source for New York wine commentary, tasting notes and news.Formerly the editor of the
Long Island Wine Gazette 
and a contributor to 
Edible Brooklyn 
,Lenncontributes to 
Edible East End 
,and is the wine columnist for Hamptons.com and 
Dan's Papers 
 inthe Hamptons. He is also a regional editor for Appellation America covering the Long Island and Hudson River Valley regions.A finalist in the American Wine Blog Awards several times, LENNDEVOURS won the "BestSingle-Subject Wine Blog" in 2009 for its comprehensive coverage of New York wines.Lenn lives in Sound Beach, NY with his wife Nena, son Jackson and trusty beagle, BenRoethlisbeagle.
Stephen Carrizzo’s
career in the wine industrygrew out of his love of wine and its history, culture, and relationship to the earth. After he begancollecting wines, he first worked in the wine business in the late 1970s at a retailer that offeredone of the largest selections of NY State wines then available. He has traveled to many of the
world’s top wine regions tasting wines at the source, for business and pleasure, a
nd he started awebsite, www.winephilosopher.com to share his own perspectives about the connections between wine, art, and philosophy. His work in the wine trade has been in the retail, wholesale,
 
2009 Hudson Valley Wine Competition Judges
 
winery, and importing segments of the business. While working as a sales representative for amajor wine wholesaler he provided consulting services to restaurants.He also organizes wineand food pairing dinners, taught classes and led tastings. He is currently leading ongoing design,development and expansion of the e-
commerce department at one of the region’s leading wine
retailers, Mid Valley Wine & Liquors in Newburgh, NY, where the website is drawing clients fromaround the US and the world
 –
see www.midvalleywine.com He is also a partner in C&F Productions, a video company specializing in wine videos.
Ned Towle
is founder and Director of the Westchester Wine Schoollocated in Westchester County, NY with classes held at the Hilton Rye Town in Rye Brook. Hehas worked in all aspects of wine growing and wine making at Chateau de Mayragues insouthwestern France. He has also worked in the Manhattan wine retail business. He is certifiedas a Specialist of Wine and Wine Educator by the Society of Wine Educators and as a WineJudge by the American Wine Society. He teaches about wine varieties, regions, styles,techniques and vintages in a non-intimidating, fun, and professional manner.
Bill Miller
, a native born New Yorker, spent years honing hisknowledge and expertise about wines. He spent a harvest inNapa, California where he worked for Acacia Winery. Since then,Bill has created award winning wine lists and developed andimplemented extensive wine training programs for two worldclass restaurants. Over the last ten years, Bill has become acertified Level 1 Sommelier with The Court of MasterSommeliers, attended Vin Italy in Verona, The Vin Expo in NewYork City, The Taste of Vail, The Taste of Washington and hasbeen featured in multiple newspaper articles. Bill has over tenyears experience in the restaurant business beginning as aserver at The Wildflower at The Lodge at Vail, beverage directorof La Tour in Vail, Colorado and partner/sommelier of The NewYork Restaurant, Harbor Springs, Michigan. Bill was alsohonored to be a judge at The Michigan Wine and SpiritsCompetition in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
 
2009 Hudson Valley Wine Competition Judges
 
W. R. Tish
, known to many simply as Tish, has been writing andspeaking about wine and food for more than 15 years. He spent much of that time as theeditor of
Wine Enthusiast 
, positioning it as a spunkier, funnier alternative to other winemagazines. Since 1998, Tish has written for magazines including
In Style, Details, Private Clubs, Better Homes & Gardens, Wine & Spirits 
, and
Westchester 
.As founder and owner of Wine For All (wineforall.com
 –
 
―pairing wine and fun since the 20
th
 
century‖), Tish has developed and led events for a variety of For 
tune 500 corporations andlaw firms
—
not to mention private parties that would make Bacchus envious. He has also ledspecialized seminars for the wine trade; taught at the Institute of Culinary Education; servedas an auctioneer for charity wine auctions; and in July 2006 became a certified instructor ofBordeaux wines.
Tish’s approach to wine events veers naturally toward comedy; he cut his humor teeth at TheHarvard Lampoon, and does standup in Manhattan as a ―recovering wine critic.‖ His unique
and enter
taining approach to gastronomy is captured in his motto, ―I drink, therefore I am; Ieat, therefore I am more.‖
Bill Rattner
- has been involved professionally in wine and food as aSommelier/Restaurant Manager, a wine writer, and a wine educator for quite afew vintages now. In his long-
time role as Wine Director for the Xaviar’s
Restaurant Group, Billy educates the staff and directs wine service for eachproperty in the group and is currently developing the wine program for Peter
Kelly’s much
-anticip
ated Xaviar’s
-on-the-
Hudson in Yonkers, NY. The Xaviar’s
Restaurant Group is comprised of some of the most renowned and acclaimedwine-destination restaurants in New York State: Xaviar's at Piermont, TheFreelance Cafe & Wine Bar and Restaurant X & Bully Boy Bar have all receivedpopular praise and the industry's most coveted awards and accolades which
include The New York Times’ highest rating (Extraordinary), The Mobil Travel
Guide Four Star Award, The DiRoNA Award, Wine Spectator's "Best of Award ofExcellence", Zagat's Survey (29 out of 30). Billy designs and manages thesewine programs with an eye towards making the grape accessible and yum-inspiringly enjoyable for every level of wine drinker -
from the ―white zinfandelconvert‖ to the diehard collector. He has been known to say, ―Wine can be
serious, wine can be fun
 –
 
but it should always be seriously fun.‖
 
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