In the world of wine and wine education, the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club has been on the front line of wine education and wine programs.  In the last three years, the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club and its manager, Oliver Boudin, CCM, has created a unique event that is worth mentioning.

2008 marked the beginning of the Wine Retreat at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club for the Oklahoma/Kansas Chapter.  Coming from the Lone Star Chapter in Texas, Mr. Boudin asked them to join his new Chapter in supporting this event.  The format for the event is relatively simple and the goal has not changed over the last three years.

The event always includes some great speakers from all aspects of the wine industry. It usually includes a top Sommelier, renowned Wine Makers and Wine Proprietors. Occasionally, there is a guest speaker from outside the industry; such as this year’s speaker, Aubrey McClendon, CEO and Chairman of Board for Chesapeake Energy.  Aubrey is not only a wine aficionado, but he also has one of the largest private cellars in the nation, if not the largest.

So, mark your calendar for March 28, 2010 and plan to join this exciting event.  This year’s event will include Master Sommelier, Eddie Osterland, renowned National Speaker and National CMAA Conference Speaker.  Eddie was the first Master Sommelier in the US.  Also joining the program are Steve Humble with 32 Winds Wine, Benoit Trocard with Chateau Trocard, Clos Dubreuil  and many more  speakers.

Special arrangements have been made at the beautiful Marriott Waterford Hotel just a few blocks away from the club.  Transportation will be provided to and from the hotel.

Eddie Osterland, America's first Master Sommelier, will help you erase any worries about wine knowledge. Eddie offers a "new operating system" when it comes to creating a moment that no one will ever forget.  Eddie is an  entertainer who uses dynamic, state of the art presentations that are fun, unpretentious, humorous, and has great practical insights on entertaining for business or pleasure.

Benoit Trocard, the son of Jean-Louis Trocard, stands on his own two feet with his Clos de la Vieille Eglise and the world renowned Clos Dubreuil St Emilion Grand Cru. This latter domaine only produces 400 cases a year, with demand increasing year by year.  It won’t hurt that Benoit is now the President of the new Bordeaux group, Bordeaux Oxygène, which aims to breathe new life into the perception – and sales – of the region's wines. It will concern itself chiefly with non-winemaking related issues, notably the marketing and promotion of Bordeaux, in an effort to increase the region's appeal to young wine drinkers.  Benoit is one of a younger generation of Bordelaise producers who are striving to drive the image and wines that they make away from the preconceived idea of ‘the old boy network’ and are producing wines which, although still portray a traditional image and taste, are approachable at an earlier age.

Chesapeake Energy Corp

Aubrey K. McClendon, 49, has served as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and a director since co-founding the Company in 1989.  Aubrey graduated from Duke University in 1981, and from 1982 to 1989  was an independent producer of oil and natural gas.

32 Winds Wine is a partnership between the old and the new, the traditional and the cutting-edge.  Ed Mascarin and Steve Humble founded the brand.  Ed is the grandchild of Italian immigrants who settled in California from Friuli in northern Italy. His grandparents bought 40 acres of land and planted grapes, and Ed was raised in the vineyards where he learned the time-honored arts of grafting and trellising from his father and grandfather.  Ed’s father, Tony, was the Cellar Master for Californian pioneer Louis Martini in the 1930’s.