Society of Wine Educators' 2011 Conference Features Wine & Food Theme

NEW YORK, June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society of Wine Educators 35th Annual Conference will take place August 3-5 in Providence, Rhode Island this year, with a creative take on the theme, "A Food and Wine Experience."

The Conference will feature multiple types of pairings: wines and spirits with complementary foods, as well as the pairing of the Society of Wine Educators and Johnson & Wales University. This institution is the largest educator of hospitality professionals in North America. Both pre-conference and conference activities will take place on their campus. In addition to high-level cooking classes taught by their Chef/Instructors, covering four major cuisines, the International Wine Tasting will take place at the recently completed Culinary Arts Museum. There's also the pairing of imaginative ingredients in the "Creative Cocktails" event.

This year's Plenary session will focus on Portugal. There will be three different topics covered: The New Wave of Women Winemakers; Modern Portuguese Cuisine - a multi-course luncheon paired with Portuguese wines, prepared by Henrique Sa Pessoa, Lisbon's leading Chef; and a comparative tasting of fortified wines, including Port, Madeira, and Moscatel.

The SWE Conference is unique in its coverage, offering over 50 sessions, presented by experts in their fields. These guided tastings and lectures include "The Legend of Sassicaia," "Benvenuto Brunello," "Lafite Around the World," "Rules of Engagement," "Blanc de Blancs Champagne," "Wines of Germany" and "Raising Cane: A Deep Dive into Caribbean Rum." This year's Conference will offer sessions on beer and tea. Sponsors include Planet Bordeaux, Wines of Navarra, Wines of Portugal, Nestle Waters and Wines of South Africa.

In the two days preceding the Conference (August 1st and 2nd), certification exams for the CSW, CSS and CWE exams will be given. And following the Conference, there will be a Winery Tour of Rhode Island.

If you are not currently a member of the Society of Wine Educators, you can still get the member rate to the full Conference by using the code PRCON11, by registering before June 30th, a savings of $70. Visit www.societyofwineeducators.org to register.

The mission of the non-profit Society of Wine Educators is to advance wine and spirits education through professional development and certification. Founded in 1974, the Society is now headquartered in Washington DC, and has over 2,600 members in 13 different countries.

SOURCE Society of Wine Educators