Around 600 wine enthusiasts gathered at the Houstonian Hotel last night for the 2016 Iron Sommelier wine tasting and competition event benefiting The Periwinkle Foundation.

At Iron Somm, the city’s most prestigious sommeliers compete for the title of Iron Sommelier. Each sommelier selects three wines that focus on a particular wine region, grape or style and personally presents the wines they are pouring. Fourteen sommeliers competed this year. Take a look at the competitors here.

This year, Christian Varas of River Oaks Country Club took home the title of Iron Sommelier 2016. Other awards included:

• 1st runner up – Evan Turner of Helen Greek Food and Wine
• 2nd runner up – Thomas Moesse of Divino Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar
• Best Presentation – Melissa Lamb of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse
• People’s Choice – Melissa Lamb of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

To see more photos from the event, click here.