Tasting with Steven McDonald and Rachael Liggett-Draper

We're back with a new tasting episode! This week, host and Master Sommelier Chris Tanghe discusses blind tasting practices with MS Steven McDonald and Rachael Liggett-Draper. They explore their tasting challenges, how they have calibrated acid and tannin calls, and the ways they apply blind tasting skills in their everyday work.

Steven McDonald is the executive wine director for the Pappas Bros Steakhouses in Houston and Dallas. He moved to Houston from New York City in 2011 to join the Pappas Bros team. Steven passed the Master Sommelier exam in 2018. Rachael Liggett-Draper has worked as a sommelier at The Little Nell in Aspen since 2021; previously, she worked at several restaurants and wine bars in Vail. Rachael is an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas.

After their tasting conversations, Steven and Rachael taste the same red wine. Listen closely and guess along with them! We reveal the wine at the end of the episode.

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