Imagine what it would be like to give a tequila presentation to two Presidents and a Prime Minister, all of who are eager to find out about the history, culture and nuances of tequila.
Sounds pretty nerve racking, right? Well, this is exactly the situation tequila expert Miguel Cedeño faced earlier this year when he hosted U.S. President Barack Obama, Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for a tequila tasting and primer.
However, Cedeño, being a well-recognized tequila expert, author, teacher, master distiller and scientist, managed to pull it off with apparent ease.
We sat down with Cedeño recently to talk to him about the experience and how he answered President Obama’s questions: “What’s your favorite tequila?”
Calling all tequila lovers and tequila industry professionals! You won’t want to miss this year’s World International Tequila Conference (WITC), being held in Guadalajara, Mexico April 4th -7th.
The conference, which is held entirely in English, will feature sessions on the history and future of tequila production, brand building, marketing, tasting and how to build a successful tequila bar. (Attendees of the 2009 World International Tequila Conference were treated to a rare tour of the CRT (the governing body of all that is tequila) including a presentation in the executive board room (pictured.) The 2010 conference will feature a return to the CRT, with a tour of the facilities, and a tasting on the roof of the building.)
Grover went last year and said that it was an amazing (and ridiculously fun) opportunity to network, learn and make connections. Attendees will be able to rub elbows with tequila legends, brand owners and other aficionados.
Other than the informational sessions, the agenda includes distillery tours in Tequila, multiple formal and informal tastings, and an opening party on the rooftop of the Tequila Regulatory Commission (CRT).
Grover and I will be there, of course, along with all of our tequila connections. You’d be loath to miss this opportunity to taste amazing tequilas, explore the Tequila region and make new friends.
Early bird registration is now open. Reserve your spot so we can all hang out in tequila heaven.
Partida blanco lovers beware: there seems to be a shortage, at least in our little Mexican village.
Rumors from multiple independent sources say that Partida has been sitting on an enormous amount of tequila and has stopped production entirely until they sell through their stock. Since the blanco is hugely popular, stores are running out of it first, with no idea when the stock will be replenished.
We just went to our favorite tequila stores in Tlaquepaque, Tecolote and El Buho, to buy a bottle of the blanco for some friends, only to discover they had run out. Ditto for the next largest tequila store. Finally, we found a few bottles at jacked up prices at another store. The 400 peso price tag (about US$32) was changed to 430 pesos (we watched as they changed the price), with 3 bottles left. (Of course, after our visit they now have only two, which we may grab shortly).
If you are a Partida blanco fan, let us know what’s going on in your part of the world. You just may want to pick up an extra bottle, just in case.
We have a bit of TasteTequila.com news to report — On April 1, 2010, Grover and I are moving to Mexico. We’ll be settling right smack-dab in the middle of the tequila region so we can fill this blog with the most up-to-date and in-depth coverage of what’s happening in the world of tequila.
Stay tuned for frequent updates, interviews and video directly from the heartland of tequila. In the meantime, please excuse our spotty updates while we prepare to move. We promise to make up for it.
We will be staying in the beautiful town of Tlaquepaque, about 20 minutes outside of Guadalajara and in between the two most famous tequila production regions, the Highlands and the Lowlands. If you haven’t visited Tlaquepaque we highly recommend it. It is the perfect spot to experience the very best of Mexico with magical food, music, and culture in a safe and friendly environment. In fact, Tlaquepaque is where we were married last November and where we started doing all of the research that has gone into this blog over the last year.
Since we’ll have our eyes and ears on the ground, let us know if there any topics that you’d like to see us cover. We’re planning to review hard-to-find tequilas, and write profiles about local tequila personalities and distilleries, and use the blog to tell the stories of the region.
For the moment, we are excited and getting ready to go. One of our main concerns was getting rid of the 80-plus bottles of tequila in our collection, which we obviously can’t take with us.
Our solution — a “Drain the Bar” party, where all of our friends could leisurely sample and taste everything on our bar – including the $350 bottle of Herradura Seleccion Suprema. Look for updates and videos from this over-the-top event very soon.
We’re giving up or lovely apartment in San Francisco, selling our car, clearing off our bar, and getting ready to plunge head-first into the land of tequila.
These things and more made it on our “This Week in Tequila” list.
There seems to be a trend this week – Women (and people in China) love tequila too! Especially if it can fit in nicely with a weight-loss plan.
If you have some tequila news you’d like to share with us, if you’ve heard a tequila rumor, or have any amusing suggestions for our weekly list, please let us know.
