California Wines Bootcamp 2025
May 12-15, 2025
Welcome to the California Wines Bootcamp
This CWI Bootcamp will bring together 18 leading sommeliers in Asia for a meaningful and memorable four days of learning, exploring, and experiencing. These four days will offer a deeper understanding of California wines.
This site provides the itinerary, helpful travel information & tips, and California wine resources. Before your trip, this site will also link to a digital wine catalogue on the Bottlebooks platform. The platform will provide the full list of 70+ wines you will taste throughout the days. We will share more information and guide you through the tool so you can maximize the functionality.
Monday, May 12
Overnight at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Annex Tower
Hotel Check-In
By 17:30
Shinagawa Prince Hotel Annex Tower
17:30
Meet with CWI staff at the reception in the Annex Tower
17:45
Depart for dinner by several cabs
18:00
Welcome dinner paired with CA wines at the Michelin starred Nogizaka Shin
Tuesday, May 13
By 8:00 Hotel Check-out, Meet CWI Staff at reception in the Annex Tower
8:00 - 8:30 Depart for Meiji Kinenkan
Overnight at the Izu Hotel Resort & Spa
Meiji Kinenkan
Sessions
9:00 – 11:00
- Review wines last night
- Napa
- Sonoma
- Lake County
- Mendocino
11:30 – 12:00
Depart for Shinagawa Station
12:30 – 15:02
Depart for Izu-Atagawa Station on Saphir Odoriko Train #3
Lunch on the train
Hotel Check-In
15:02 – 15:30
Transfer to Hotel
15:30
Hotel Check-in & Welcome Sparkling
Dinner & Discussion
19:00
Pairing CA wines with French cuisine
Sessions
9:00 – 11:30
- Monterey & San Benito
- Paso Robles
- Santa Barbara
11:30 – 15:00
Sushi Lunch & relaxed time
Sessions
15:00 – 18:00
- Lodi & Sierra Foothills
- California Future
- Service at the Highest
18:00 – 19:00
Free time
Dinner & Discussion
19:00
BYO CA wine presentation with Shabu Shabu
*Please bring a bottle of CA wine you think it matches with the Shabu Shabu dinner
Thursday, May 15
7:00 Breakfast at your leisure
Return home / Overnight at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Annex Tower
Wrap-up, Exam & Departure
8:00 – 9:00
Wrap-up
9:00 – 10:00
Exam
10:00 – 10:30
Celebratory Toast
10:30
Depart for lunch
Farewell
11:00 – 13:30
Farewell French cuisine with CA wines at Mikuni Izukogen
13:44 – 15:11
Depart for Shinagawa Station via Atami Station
(Odoriko #6 → Bullet Train Kodama #722)
15:30 –
Those returning to Korea or within Japan will head straight to Haneda Airport or on their ways home locally
Those flying home to Mainland China, Taiwan or Hong Kong on May 16 will head to the Shinagawa Prince Hotel
Friday, May 16
California Wines Sommelier Ambassadors Announced
9 Sommelier Ambassadors will be announced and will be invited to California Wines Somm Trip in 2027
Your Hosts
Anthony Anselmi MS
Master Sommelier
Anthony Anselmi, MS is the owner of Occam’s Wine Co. Occam’s manages Global Wine Distribution for a handful of California wineries: LUMEN, MAIL ROAD, VICE VERSA & VILLA CREEK Wines. With over 20 years managing Wholesale Distribution, Anthony spent 15 years working for National Importers in the United States promoting and selling the likes of Giacomo Conterno (Barolo), Anselme Selosse (Champagne), Thierry Allemand (Cornas), Raveneau (Chablis), Coche-Dury (Meursault), Pingus (Ribera del Duero), and the list of benchmark, world class wineries goes on. This experience eventually evolved into Managing Global Wine Distribution for a select number of California Wineries.
Anthony made his own wine, Jadis, for 3 vintages. This set the stage for what would become his lifelong passion, working directly with wineries to improve their distribution on the global stage.
Achieving the title of Master Sommelier in 2011, Anthony now teaches Deductive Tasting to aspiring sommeliers using his innovative tasting method, “The Anselmi Method”.
Anthony also travels the world proctoring exams, meeting wine buyers and leading tastings & dinners promoting the wines he loves.
Home is Truckee, California which is located about 15 miles from Lake Tahoe high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. His summers are filled with playing in the Truckee River and the local lakes that abound. While winter involves a lot of shoveling snow and skiing with his wife (Beth) and their 2 boys, Jodi and River.
Chris Miller MS
Master Sommelier
A New Orleans native, Chris worked at Emeril’s and the Brennan family’s restaurants. After graduation from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School, he pursued his wine passion, becoming a sommelier at Seattle’s Canlis Restaurant. Chris worked his first harvest in 2005 at Gramercy Cellars in Walla Walla. By 2007 he had taken top honors at his Advanced Sommelier exam and won the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs ‘Best Young Sommelier in America’ competition, winning the worldwide competition a year later. He was subsequently named Wine & Spirits’ Best New Sommelier in America.
Soon after, Miller took over the beverage program at Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant, Spago Beverly Hills, quickly developing the program into a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner. While there, he earned his Master Sommelier diploma while regularly hosting many of the country’s largest wine collectors’ tastings. Harvests were spent learning under Greg Brewer at Brewer-Clifton and Melville in Sta. Rita Hills.
After 20 years in restaurants, Chris took the position of Director of Education & Hospitality for Harlan Estate, overseeing all of its properties. In 2017, he founded Seabold Cellars in Monterey County, and acquired his first estate vineyard in 2023.
Team CWI
Madoka Ogiya
DipWSET
CWI Joint Trade Director North Asia & Australasia
Mina Choi
CWI In-Market Representative Korea
Hiro Tejima
CWI Joint Trade Director North Asia & Australasia
Sally Cheng
Christopher Beros
CWI Trade Director Greater China &Southeast Asia
What to wear
- Casual, jeans ok
- Dinner at Nogizaka Shin & Lunch at Mikuni Izukogen: Smart casual
What to bring
- Passport / ID for hotel check-ins
- Credit card for incidentals / personal use when you check in
- Electronic chargers, adapters, back-up battery packs
- Curiosity, Positive Attitude & Questions!
Tips
- Join the tour WhatsApp group for helpful reminders.
- Traveling in a group is even more pleasant if we do not have to wait for anyone. We kindly ask everyone to be on time.
What is covered in your stay
- Hotel stays, group transportation, transportation to and from Haneda/Narita
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
What is not covered
- Personal incidental expenses – spa services, mini-bar, room service, etc.
- Additional hotel room nights and transportation outside of the pre-arranged tours.
- Travel Insurance – we recommend you take out travel insurance as Wine Institute is not able to do this for you.
Airport transportation
- We are happy to provide an Uber Voucher to cover your rides to and from Haneda Airpot (HND), should you choose to use it.
- UBER VOUCHER: https://r.uber.com/rMiuO1VBM1O.
- TRAVEL ISSUES: If your flight is canceled or delayed, or if any other logistical constraints arise, please contact your California Wines representative directly or Madoka (+81-80-3388-3262).