NEW YORK, NY -- 06/15/07 -- "My mom weaned me on grape juice, and my favorite snack as a toddler was a box of raisins," says Sheri Sauter Morano, who returns this year for her third stint as spokesperson for the 2007 national Wines of France campaign. "Who knows what effect that had!" A very positive effect, as her Master of Wine accolades can attest: she's the youngest of 25 Americans, and the second of only three American women, to ever achieve the honor. The campaign, set to roll out this summer, highlights "Sheri's Top 40 French Wine Picks," a list of hand-selected wines from the best in affordable, innovative French winemaking, all retailing between $7-$20.
Who is this gifted wonder? 32-year-old Sheri is a wife, a mother, and a knowledgeable and passionate certified wine educator who resides in Durham, NC. She began her formal wine training at the International Wine Center in New York, and passed test after test until she earned the prestigious title of Master of Wine in 2003 at age 28! Not surprisingly, her wine philosophy is youthful and energetic: "keep it simple, have fun and get rid of all the stuffy rules and pretensions."
Reared in a family of acute senses, her mother, a music teacher, says that "Sheri got the palate." With a gift of good taste, a sense of humor, and a passion for underappreciated French wine regions such as Alsace, Sheri is the perfect person to bring a sampling of what's great in French wine right now to the US. Her go-to advice for new wine drinkers is to "experiment as much as possible," and "trust your palate!"
After two years of traveling with the campaign, Sheri has learned first-hand what Americans are looking for: they are excited about the comeback of rosé wines, they are "sweet" on dessert wines, and they love to celebrate with affordable sparkling wines. Sheri listened -- even added organic and biodynamic wines -- and sought to have as many food-friendly wines as possible on the list. But the food doesn't have to be all duck à l'orange! She tells a story that one of her neighbors drank a bottle from last year's list with hot dogs. "It made the meal more pleasurable," she says.
American interest in wine is more piqued than ever -- so there's no better time for an articulate, unpretentious spokeswoman to recommend the wines she would serve to friends. For more information on Sheri Sauter Morano, MW and the 2007 Wines of France campaign, visit www.wines-france.com/USA.
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