NYC Mini-BerserkerFest! (in collaboration with Decanter's Fine Wine Encounter) - June 7, 2025

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VERY excited to announce this event since @LauraT24 of Decanter Magazine reached out to generate a special promotion for Berserkers…and I’ll be there!

BerserkerFest NYC 2025/Fine Wine Encounter
Saturday June 7
Manhatta Restaurant on Liberty Street

Decanter has offered discounts (and a few other perks) for Wine Berserkers, so I figured since the event looked so great, I’d also attend…and perhaps my wife will as well! I’m already chatting with a few other VIP Berserker buddies (@K_John_Joseph @Charlie_Carnes @Jorge_Henriquez) who are hoping to come as well, but I’m 100% confirmed, so why not add to the event a bit and make it a little BerserkerFest, yeah?

Decanter has a long-term strategy of identifying some Berserkers who could be ambassadors for their New York events…I’m looking at you New Yorkers!! Perhaps I shall crown some when we are all there :crown:

Exclusive Fine Wine Encounter ticket offer for Wine Berserkers Community

To engage with Wine Berserkers’ passionate, engaged, highly knowledgeable audience of serious wine enthusiasts, with a Wine Berserkers-only discount on the Grand Tasting and VIP experiences (to be posted later). Each Grand Tasting ticket includes The Rioja Bar Experience - 25 wines highlighting 100 years of Rioja’s history, including some rare limited releases, and I’m a bit jazzed about it, myself (though if my wife comes I’m guessing she might not be…at least on the older stuff!). Full list of producers below as well.

DISCOUNT CODE:

20% discount on all tickets, Grand Tasting $225 pre-discount

Code: BERSERKERS

(There is also a larger discount for Monopole Crü members, which I’ll post in the Monopole Crü forum - to those who wish to upgrade from Grand Cru Crü I will, as always, pro-rate a refund of that membership after the upgrade, just reach out - to those not a member of either group this discount pays for 2/3 of the annual membership, and there are ample exclusive deals throughout the year)

Apply code at the payment page, link below:

BERSERKERS LUNCH - come hang!

I’ve reserved a table for 8 at 1:30 for Berserkers, and will add more as needed/available, but the 1:30 block is filling up fast. Cost is $85pp (no discount on this particular event), and let me know if you’d like a spot. Will be smart to get some food in our systems mid-Grand Tasting :slight_smile:

We will have Grand Tasting wristbands, so for those who want to attend the entire tasting, before lunch and after, the wristbands will give in/out access. I’m also working on some possibilities for post-Grand-Tasting events, so stay tuned! If I’m flying across the country to attend, I’ll make the most of it. Perhaps we can put together followup events in the day(s) before/after as well, but I’m posting this now as the event continues to develop, so we can get some committals.

If you have any questions, I’ll do my best, but @LauraT24 is also tagged. Let’s get a big group together for this, shall we?

Full list of producers attending HERE, and Laura promised to share which Rioja wines are confirmed once she has them.

ATTENDEES: (asterisk indicates lunch group of some sort)

Todd French* (+Rioja masterclass)
Jen French (the real boss)*
Jorge Henriquez* (+Rioja masterclass)
Lindsey Naumann*
John Ehrling*
Jesse_W
Keith_Yuen*
Marco Crespo
Ignacio Sanchez*
Bebe Sallah
JCho (masterclass)
Wbeshears (Biondi Santi masterclass)
Celine Tarrant (Veuve Clicquot masterclass)
RayChung*
Jess Teng

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How much are the tickets with the 30% MC discount? The link requires me to register before it shows the price……TIA

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Thanks, added! ($225 pre-discount) - since you are Monopole Crü remember you have a greater discount rate, posted in the MC forum. Will I meet you there?

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@ToddFrench I just signed up, will be great to see you again. How do I signup for the lunch?

This might be something you’re interested in. Tagging: @gavin.f @GavinTrepeta @Dan_A @Joseph_Grassa @PeterB @Bryan_B @Dinesh_Goyal @Madeline_Andreach @J_a_y_H_a_c_k

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This sounds like a great time but I will be on vacation in Spain. Would love to attend an event especially that Todd is flying out for it. Have a blast!

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Do you have Leo Frokic’s permission to use the “New York Berserkerfest” moniker, since he and I are the only ones who have properly used it before? And I think it is inappropriate to tie the concept of a Berserkerfest to a profitmaking venture, which perverts the intention of everyone getting together for fun based upon goodwill. But what do I know. I’m an old romantic completely detached from the modern age of youthful, grubby profitability without any elegance or heart.

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This sounds awesome but I may be away at that time so unfortunately can’t commit to it now.

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I got you! I’m not yet sure on how we pay for that part, but I’m not worried about that for now…

Perhaps you forget nearly all of the prior NYC BerserkerFests were also essentially tied to a profitmaking venture, in that we paid for each of the restaurants in which we held 'fests. (Those in your backyard excluded of course) The big Santa Barbara BerserkerFest also had a number of fees, as we had to rent out facilities. Decanter already arranged it all, which fits perfectly in my newfound laziness, and they want some Berserkers there to class (or de-class?) the place up a bit, add some panache and knowledge, and judging by the view at the restaurant, the fee is well worth it, particularly after the discount!

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Miserable, much?

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So you’re asking the creator of Wine BERSERKERS if he asked you, the owner of NY, permission to use the word Berserkerfest?

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I’m probably going to join and bring my wife. Are the Masterclasses separate from the Grand Tasting?

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Wonderful! Please let me know (you and anyone else who books the tickets, and let me know about lunch, which I have corrected to 1:30pm (was just informed I was given the wrong info, our first table reserved for 1:30, and they have 12:30 and 11:30 as well)

Good question…yes! Here are the full details

2 x VIP experiences to be booked privately via laura.timms@decanter.com

Lunch & Tour with Decanter Napa Correspondent

■ Join Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter’s Napa Correspondent, for an intimate lunch at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter New York on Saturday, June 7. Begin with a Champagne reception before sitting down with two esteemed Napa Winemakers, who will share rare wines from their personal library - wines not available at the main event. Savor these exceptional selections over a gourmet buffet lunch in the elegant Manhatta dining room overlooking panoramic views of NYC from the 60th Floor.

This exclusive package for 5 VIP Guests includes:

■ Champagne on arrival in the dining room with Jonathan10:30am

■ Guided Tour of Grand Tasting with Jonathan 10:45am

■ Buffet lunch for one hour at 11:30am

■ Tasting an exclusive wine with two Napa Producers at the
lunch

■ Access to the Grand Tasting and Rioja Bar 10:30am - 5pm

Discounted rate: $375 per person / $1875 per group

Lunch & Tour with Decanter US Editor

■ Join Clive Pursehouse, Decanter US Editor for an intimate lunch at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter New York on Saturday, June 7. Begin with a Champagne reception before sitting down with two esteemed Winemakers from Sonoma and Oregon, who will share rare Pinot Noir wines from their personal library - wines not available at the main event. Savor these exceptional selections over a gourmet buffet lunch in the elegant Manhatta dining room overlooking panoramic views of NYC from the 60th Floor.

This exclusive package for 5 VIP Guests includes:

■ Champagne on arrival in the dining room with Clive10:30am

■ Guided Tour of Grand Tasting with Clive 10:45am

■ Buffet lunch for one hour at 11:30am

■ Tasting an exclusive wine with two Producers at the lunch

■ Access to the Grand Tasting and Rioja Bar 10:30am - 5pm

Discounted rate: $375 per person / $1875 per group

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Full list of ‘special wines’ each producer is bringing is available here:

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I can’t join the lunch since I signed up for the Biondi Santi session at 1:45, but I’ll be at the tasting and look forward to seeing some familiar faces.

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Added you to the attendees list - see you then!

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I understand that reading is not your strong point, since I added the words “New York” to the moniker, which had already added the syllable “fest,” hence making it Leo’s Lanham Act trademarked term.

As to the restaurant argument, that’s kind of a bit of BS also, because I am comfortable with the argument that paying a restaurant for food is quite different for paying a wine business a fee for organizing. We New Yorkers know how to party and we don’t charge people to come anything more than is nessary to cover third party costs. The ones that Leo organized were at discounted costs at PDH, except for the one at his house, which was free. The three that I organized at my house were all free. Did anyone else organize one in New York?

BUT gee, you guys are both rather sensitive. Did I hit a nerve? It was a JOKE.

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It was about as negative and shitty a response as one could imagine, and I don’t think anyone would have taken it for a joke. I did like the condescension to Jorge lines above, though, after which you referenced the Lanham Act in conjunction with a clarification that you and Leo did not use the term in commerce.

I did get a chuckle out of that!

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I think it was less than 90 seconds after first meeting Jay that I learned he has a special knack for ball busting. My feeling is: sticks and stones…

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Since you won’t be at the lunch with us, we’ll have to find a way to meet up and talk about Jay some more…share stories :wink:

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