Our Le Vin à son Apogée Wine tasting features many of the Pacific Northwest's leading wine authorities.

This year, leading our team of top Sommeliers, is Shayn Bjornholm. Shayn is a Court of Masters Sommelier and serves as the Washington Wine Commission Education Director after 6 years, 2000 - 2006, of directing nationally renowned Canlis Restaurant's wine program to impressive heights. During his tenure, Canlis garnered numerous awards, including the Wine Spectator's Grand Award for its 10th consecutive year, Gentleman's Quarterly's Top 6 Most Trustworthy Wine Programs and Sante Magazine's National Wine Hospitality Restaurant of the Year 2005. Under his tutelage, two sommeliers earned Wine and Spirits Magazine's award for Best New Sommelier in the United States and Master Sommelier Candidacies in consecutive years - the first time such a feat has ever been accomplished.

One of the wine industry's most lauded young professionals, Shayn has received numerous worldwide accolades. In 2005, he passed the Master Sommelier examination on the first try, becoming just the 9th winner of the prestigious Krug Cup in the history of the Court of Master Sommeliers. In the same year, Sante Magazine recognized Shayn with a Regional Wine Professional of the Year Award. In 2004, Gentleman's Quarterly named him as one of the Top 6 Most Trustworthy Sommeliers in the United States. Throughout his hometown of Seattle, Shayn has been recognized by Seattle Magazine and the Seattle Times as the city's Best Sommelier in different years. In Summer of 2007, he will be featured in the Fine Living Network's "I Want Your Job as a Sommelier" as the sommelier of Canlis Restaurant.

In addition to his work as a sommelier, Shayn has published numerous wine articles in the Chalk Hill Sommelier Guide, Luxe Magazine, Seattle Magazine and Seattle Business Monthly. He fulfills his greatest passion, that of teaching the wonders of wine, for the Court of Master Sommeliers, the International Sommelier Guild and, now, the Washington Wine Commission. As a speaker, his services are in demand by such events as the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival, Aspen Food and Wine Classic and Taste WA.