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Hospitality Management students and faculty in attendance for the Beverage Management class this month got a tutorial of the "Seven 'S’s' of Wine Tasting," thanks to Dr. Anna Ortiz, Dean of the College of Education (COE) and Certified Sommelier. Currently, students in that class are preparing for the upcoming Fall 2025 Beach Culinary and Wine Excellence Series event, taking place November 6, 2025 at The Queen Mary. 

“It’s an absolutely gorgeous venue,” said Hospitality Management student Ken Ramos, who is in both the Beverage Management and Event Management classes this semester. The two classes within the Hospitality Management program in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, join forces to help put on the wine event each semester. Ramos says that his classmates are busy preparing for another fantastic evening of food and wine.

“As students, we get to work with the head chef at The Queen Mary and plan something really special together,” he says. 

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Meanwhile, Dean Ortiz was on hand again this semester to demonstrate the fundamentals of pouring and serving wine. Dr. Ortiz also shared her wealth of experience and insights from her decades immersed in the wine industry. In addition to being a certified sommelier, Dr. Ortiz also owns her own wine company called My Wine Advisor. In the beverage management class, she comes to give students expert advice on food pairings, and even a crash course on wine history and grape varietals. 

The class also had the opportunity to taste the wines that will be served the evening of the event November 6. The students went through the seven s’s of wine tasting (eight, if you count the very first step of holding the wine glass properly by the 'stem.') Then, with each subsequent two-ounce pour with Dr. Ortiz – 1. See, 2. Smell, 3. Swirl, 4. Smell (again), 5. Sip, 6. Swish and 7. Swallow – students made their serving notes. 

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“I think what this class is really good at is training us to be salespeople within the hospitality industry – and salespeople have to know their product well,” said Garrett Vulgamott, another student in the class. “I work at Mastro’s restaurant, and a lot of our margins are made off of wine – we have entire walk-in fridges dedicated to storing wine efficiently and keeping our product pristine. So, this class is relevant to the industry -- having these skills and being taught how to properly store, sell and serve wine.” 

Marissa Sylvester, who was part of the wine event last year, is looking forward to putting on another spectacular event, and is excited to see how things are different this semester. In this reinstalment of the Beach Culinary and Wine Series, students from the Hospitality Management Program will be showcasing ‘Vines Down Under,’ taking guests on a sophisticated journey into tasting some high-end wines from Australia and its surrounding regions.

“What the students have in mind for this semester has already been so different than last semester, and they have such great ideas about everything,” Marissa says. “I just love this event; it’s so hands-on and it’s so high-class. We get to meet a lot of interesting people who work at The Queen Mary, and that builds great connections for us. It also brings together the people in your class and major together because you work so hand-in-hand with everybody. You get that experience of working on a team like you would be, if this was actually your job working on a big event like this in the hospitality industry.” 

The Fall 2025 renewal of the Beach Culinary and Wine Excellence Series takes place Thursday, November 6, 2025, aboard The Queen Mary. Purchase your tickets here. 

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