Vinophiles Pour It On for Periwinkle Foundation, Crown New 'Iron Sommelier'

Dave Rossman
Vinophiles Pour It On for Periwinkle Foundation, Crown New 'Iron Sommelier'

A WINE-TASTING rendezvous at the Post Oak Hotel benefited a heartwarming charity — to the tune of $410,000!


At the Periwinkle Foundation's Iron Sommelier competition, more than 600 well-heeled Houstonians gathered to enjoy curated wines and an evening program promoting Periwinkle's camps, arts and survivor programs that support pediatric cancer patients and their families. Fourteen of the city's top sommeliers vied for the title of Iron Sommelier, handpicking wines according to a region, grape or style. The judges, including Paul Hobbs of Paul Hobbs Wineries, a.k.a. the Steve Jobs of Wine, evaluated based on selection, presentation, originality and expertise.

In the end, Guard & Grace's Matthew McLaughlin was crowned the 2024 Iron Sommelier Champion; his clever chosen theme was “Rhône If You Want To: Rhône Around the World.”

An exciting auction touted unique items like a wine-centric vacation in Gigondas, France; a personalized wine cellar with 40-plus curated bottles; and several other to-dine-for restaurant experiences.

John Gill and Andrea Kulberg

Third-place winner Alvin Pham of Andiron

Sean Beck, Paul Hobbs, Iron Sommelier Winner Matthew McLaughlin, James Watkins

Robert and Courtney Adams

Bryan and Suzanne Monk

Chris and Judy Simon, Joe and Carol Birkhofer

Caroline Kenney, Sandra Crittenden, Pat Mitchell

Amy and Jason English

Christina and Mike Slabic

Emcee Kevin Quiin, Periwinkle Executive Director Doug Suggitt

Natalie and Justin Goodman, Lorrie Lee, Roger Bailey

Frederick Brown, Phaedra Buchanan

Natalie Vaclavik, Nick Nguyen

Jennifer Kanak, Jim Veal, Paige Morgan

Blake Wellborn, Sarah Kaplan

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Alira Med Spa Owner, World Travel Blogger, Influencer, Philanthropist

Med Spa Owner

As a small business owner, I get to wear many hats. I became an Aesthetician to gain more knowledge about the services my business was going to provide, thinking that I will only focus on the administrative side of the business. Soon I became the business administrator and the lead Aesthetician. Currently, I am hands-on with our social media and marketing promotions, in addition to my regular facial clients. As time has passed, I realized I needed it to ramp up my services and technology to keep up with our competitors and now we offer a wide variety of Medical Spa services such as injectables and laser treatments. Visit aliramedspa.com to book an appointment today!

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