The three finalists worked for more than four hours on stage in front of an audience during the numerous taste tests. Finally, the winner of the honourable first prize was revealed.
Many professions have competitions, especially those that have gained considerable interest. There are sophisticated people who become experts in their field. They are masters of what they represent. In the hospitality industry, after chefs, one of the most cross-sector the task of for sommeliers van. It's a great honour to reach the top in a profession like this.
Sommelier
A sommelier is, in Hungarian, a wine expert, but it's much more than that. Just as a chef is responsible for all the food in a restaurant, a sommelier is responsible for all the drinks. Not only is he an expert on spirits, he also creates the best food and drink pairings and is responsible for selecting the entire range of drinks in the establishment. A sommelier is not just a restaurant professional who engages with guests and can magically describe what our senses experience. He or she is the bridge to the ultimate in cultured drinking.
It is a special profession that is intangible to the outside observer and requires a great depth of knowledge. It requires a broad knowledge of the product, a deep knowledge of the lexicon and a memory of flavours that can only be acquired over many years. In addition, the sommelier knows every step of the serving process, the needs of the guest and the trends.
The world's best sommeliers compete for glory
More than 4,000 wine connoisseurs and enthusiasts gathered in the French capital to watch the world's best sommeliers show off their skills. The Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) World's Best Sommelier competition is held every three years and is hosted by a different country each time. This time, it took place in Paris from 7 to 12 February 2023, with 68 candidates from 65 countries and 68 countries represented., took part in.
The best sommeliers of the preliminaries, such as the „ASI 2021 Best European and African Sommelier, the ASI 2022 Best Sommelier from the Americas and the ASI 2022 Best Sommelier from Asia and Oceania", competed. Over the course of 4 days, candidates were able to showcase their professionalism in high-level tests, tastings and service challenges.
William Wouters, President of the ASI Best Sommelier of the World competition: „It took more than 30 years for this competition to return to Paris, but it was worth the wait. From the very first day of their arrival, the entrants were welcomed with the hospitality and wonderful gastronomy of France. As for the competition itself, it respected the commitment of our candidates by being both challenging and fair.”
Task and procedure of the competition</h3
Local favourite Pascaline Lepeltier, the master sommelier from Anjou, was eliminated in the semi-finals, leaving only three experts to fight for the title. Raimonds Tomsons, representing Latvia, was up against Denmark's Nina Jensen and China's Reeze Choi. Within the rules of the competition, they were all given a series of tasks requiring very different qualities. The aim of each challenge was to maximise their knowledge, tasting skills, willingness to serve and composure under pressure. They had to identify blind-tasted wines, pair different items with food, and on wine websites they had to notice the cardinal errors.
Each test was interspersed with unforeseen events, such as a bottle with the wrong temperature or guests arriving at an impromptu table. The three finalists were then given four minutes to make four white wine and one minute to match two minerals with two wines you have just tasted.
In another test, Chef Anne-Sophie asked the candidates to pair the four wines they had just tasted with four dishes from the menu of her restaurant in Valence. The finalists were presented with a wine list also had to be analysed to identify price, vintage and origin errors. The vintages of three wines were identified in the arena in front of the audience. Finally, the three finalists had to identify five wines from a series of images.
Achievement of the ASI Best Sommelier of the World
Choi took the bronze medal, setting up a head-to-head clash between two sommeliers from northern European countries not exactly known for their wine production. A competition so it was more exciting and interesting than ever before. Jensen impressed the judges with his versatility, but at this level there was only a small difference between the competitors. Tomsons took the top prize at the end of the competition.
William Wouters: “I have no doubt that Raimonds Tomsons ASI will be a fantastic representative and inspiring face of the global sommelier for our community.”
Raimonds Tomsons said at the end of the competition: „I grew up in a country with no wine heritage, which ultimately gave me an advantage over some of my competitors. We have no history and our minds are freer. In Latin America or classic wine-producing countries like Spain and Portugal, it's harder to open up to other wines of the world. The reason is simply that they are very proud of their own. There is nothing wrong with that, but that was my advantage.” Raimonds Tomsons has been named the best sommelier in the world for 2023. The Latvian champion has successfully cleared the hurdles to join the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale Hall of Fame, a distinguished group of former sommelier champions.
