ASI MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2023
ASI and Member Association Relationships
MEMBER ASSOCIATION SPOTLIGHT
Raising Glasses Worldwide: Sommellerie in Kazakhstan
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n the ever-expanding world of Sommellerie, ASI is striving to be a beacon of knowledge, expertise, and guidance. Part of this commitment is to support, and nurture the growth of smaller, emerging sommelier associations around the globe. The Kazakhstan Sommelier Association stands as a shining example of how ASI's influence, and guidance can help local organisations flourish in the dynamic landscape of the global hospitality industry. Kazakhstan, a country more traditionally known for its vast steppes and rich history along the Silk Road, is now emerging as a noteworthy player in the Central Asian hospitality world, thanks to the efforts of its dedicated sommelier association and the guiding hand of ASI. ASI spoke with the association’s founder Artem Lebedev and its current president, Zulfiya Ibragimova, about the relationship between their association and ASI.
ASI: How does your association's philosophy and mission align with that of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale? Artem Lebedev (AL): When we started the association in 2017 our main target was to become part of ASI as a leading industry organisation. Which meant integrating and adopting all international standards. For now, we are still trying to support all ASI activities due to the strong belief that the international association is going the right way in terms of how they promote Sommellerie worldwide. Zulfiya Ibragimova (ZI): Our association tries to be as diverse and adaptive as possible. When the war started, a lot of wine specialists fled Russia and we are trying to be helpful by integrating them into our community. We never pay attention to the citizenship of our members, but we also do not tolerate any form of propaganda. That's the way we are trying to keep equity, equality, and diversity in our association.
“We want to be a central link between eastern and western civilisation and become a hub of cultural enrichment for all sommeliers from different parts of the world.” - Zulfiya Ibragimova
