February 12, 2012
aka wine geek is joining LUPEC and the Colorado Bartenders Guild for Speed Rack in Denver where the best female bartenders from Colorado will duke it out in a top bartender competition of speed and accuracy, all in the name of charity. Tickets available at Casselman’s website.
www.casselmans.com

April 16, 2012
Join us in New Orleans on Monday, April 16 when Steve Olson, (aka wine geek) leads an advanced exploration into the origins of pre-Columbian distillation in Native Mexico, with full disclosure on terroir in agave. This is a unique opportunity to pay homage to Mexico's national spirits, Mezcal and Tequila, through an exciting tasting of these exotic elixirs with one of the top experts in the country. Ticket price includes admission to the Museum's extraordinary collection of cocktail artifacts. Located in New Orleans, the museum provides a fascinating look at the history of the American cocktail and how it has influenced music, art, theatre, and politics around the world over the past two hundred years. Purchase tickets online at:
http://www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/Events/Default.as

June 14, 2012 - June 17, 2012
aka wine geek will return to the FOOD & WINE Magazine Classic in Aspen this year. We will host wine and spirits tables in the Grand Tasting tent, and Steve Olson will host seminars throughout the weekend.
www.foodandwine.com/classic-in-aspen

June 27, 2012 - July 01, 2012
The Telluride Wine Festival is celebrating its 31st anniversary this year. Many events are in the works for this weekend full of wine, spirits and culinary delights. Steve along with other top food and wine speakers will host seminars, luncheons and demonstrations.
www.telluridewinefestival.com

July 25, 2012 - July 29, 2012
The wine geek team will be headed to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail where they will be conducting a number of "not to miss" events - stay tuned!
http://www.talesofthecocktail.com/

September 19, 2012
Steve will judge the first annual “Show Me the Proof!” High Proof Cognac Cocktail Competition for professional bartenders and mixologists. The competition, the first of its kind, will demonstrate its versatility in a wide range of cocktails. Six “Show Me the Proof!” finalists will be chosen to compete in New York City.
http://www.shakestir.com/louisroyer

September 20, 2012
Steve Olson, Andy Seymour, Leo DeGroff, and Charles-Henri de Bournet, will lead an exclusive trade-only tasting of the category Pisco, featuring Kappa. Attendees will everything they ever wanted to know about this relatively unknown spirit and taste the cocktails it can create.
http://www.kappapisco.com

October 04, 2012 - October 06, 2012
Steve will be at the launch of the Boston Cocktail Summit, the first-ever city-wide cocktail event. It will be a three-day celebration of Greater Boston’s cocktail culture designed to highlight the city’s fascinating history of spirits, mixology, New England’s breweries, wineries, and distilleries, and Steve will be doing a range of seminars.
http://www.bostoncocktailsummit.com

October 23, 2012
Going to Portland Cocktail Week? Then join Steve and Andy to explore the illustrious history and heritage of one of the world’s most respected spirits, Cognac. Taste this noble spirit and experience the differences between the styles and classifications, the magic of oak aging, and explore the geography, regions, soils, and climate. Don’t miss the chance to try some of the most influential, historically important, and delicious Cognac cocktails, as well as modern interpretations that are bringing Cognac back as a go-to ingredient in cocktails today!
http://www.portlandcocktailweek.com/academy

October 24, 2012
The Wines From Spain Great Match: Wine & Tapas return to NYC for their walk-around Grand Tasting. Steve Olson will be leading a seminar highlighting the wines of Rioja, one of Spain's most famous wine-making regions. Don't miss it!
http://greatmatch.org

November 08, 2012
Steve, Andy, and the rest of the team of Beverage Alcohol Resource will head to Kansas City for a full day of education, tasting, and exams as part of the BarSmarts Advanced program. Get all the details at the link below!
http://www.barsmarts.com

December 11, 2012
Get ready for the 2012 Vinos de Jerez Cocktail Competition LIVE finals, where some of the best bartenders in the country will gather to shake, muddle, and stir the best they've got for a chance to travel to Jerez, Spain with Steve, or for a full scholarship to Beverage Alcohol Resource. The competition is fierce...

February 16, 2013 - February 22, 2013
Steve Olson will be returning to Arizona Cocktail Week! You won't want to miss Discovering Le Cognac with the BAR team on the 18th, and don't forget about Diageo World Class on the 17th!
www.arizonacocktailweek.com

March 12, 2013 - March 14, 2013
Steve will sit on the highly esteemed panel of judges in the 4th Ultimate Spirits Challenge. The USC is part of the Ultimate Beverage Challenge whose primary goal is to generate a new platinum standard of trustworthiness, integrity, reliability, and, most important, meaningful and relevant results to international beverage competitions in order to recognize the highest degree of product quality. The Ultimate Spirits Challenge seeks systemically cull from the pack and reward those distilled beverages which in the collective and numerically arrived at opinion of the judges standout in their respective categories, showing uncommon quality.
http://www.ultimate-beverage.com/

March 15, 2013 - March 17, 2013
Steve heads to Aspen for the Apres Ski Cocktail Classic in March. There will be lot of opportunities to warm up after turns on the slopes and he will be leading a seminar on Apres Ski cocktails, pairing cocktails for the Saveur Magazine dinner, and hosting a fireside chat focused on all things Agave with Jimmy Yeager at Jimmy's Restaurant & Bar.
http://www.apresskicocktailclassic.com

March 26, 2013
Steve, along with Leo DeGroff, Charles-Henri de Bournet, and Albert Somoza, are heading to Las Vegas for an exclusive trade-only tasting of the category Pisco, featuring Kappa. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about this relatively unknown spirit, from the contentious history to the what's happening in bars today, and taste the cocktails it can create!
www.kappapisco.com

May 06, 2013
Steve Olson will once again be presenting at the 2013 James Beard Foundation Awards which is being held at Avery Hall at Lincoln Center. Deemed the Oscars of the food world, by Time magazine, The James Beard Foundation Awards are the countrys most coveted honor for chefs; food and beverage professionals; broadcast media, journalists, and authors working on food; and restaurant architects and designers.
http://www.jbfawards.com

May 09, 2013
Join Dale DeGroff, Doug Frost, Steve Olson, F. Paul Pacult, Andy Seymour and David Wondrich in Washington, DC, for BarSmarts LIVE! for a full day of training, education and certification from Pernod Ricard USA and BAR LLC.
www.barsmarts.com

May 17, 2013 - May 21, 2013
The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is a multi-day event celebrating the history, contemporary culture, and artful craft of the cocktail. Part festival, part fete, part conference, part cocktail party, the event will bring together the unparalleled talents and opportunities of the bars, bartenders, and restaurants of New York, both educational and celebratory in nature, championing the common ideals of authenticity, equality, sustainability, service, and pleasure. Steve Olson will return to host seminars, and maybe even an event or two...!
http://www.manhattancocktailclassic.com

June 03, 2013 - June 04, 2013
Steve will return as judge for the World Class U.S., a yearlong cocktail education program presented by the United States Bartenders’ Guild and sponsored by DIAGEO. This year, 20 finalists will be selected to participate in the USBG presents World Class U.S. Finale sponsored by Diageo from June 3-4 in New York City. Only one bartender will be named the "U.S. Bartender of the Year" and will represent our country in the Global Finale.
http://www.diageoworldclassusa.com

September 23, 2013 - September 27, 2013
BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource) will return to the Astor Center in NYC to hold its 5-day Intermediate Certificate Program. BAR is an independent organization whose program instructs attendees not only about the details and techniques necessary to be a competent maker of mixed drinks, but likewise about the pedigree and use of all the fine distilled spirits that act as the base spirits for cocktails. BARs mission is to educate, guide, and propagate the healthy, enlightened, and responsible use of beverage alcohol products. The school is in a unique position to create and teach a series of courses that will not just train, but actually educate those who take them, be they service industry professionals, members of the media, or curious consumers.
http://www.beveragealcoholresource.com