2023 Best Sommelier of the world

BY: NINA JENSEN PHOTOCREDIT: ASI & HRVPROD

Every third year, a new sommelier gets to claim the title as Best Sommelier of the World. ASI (International Sommelier Association) have since 1969 conducted the competition 16 times with the edition in 2023 being the 17th taking place in Paris, hosted by ASI and The French Sommelier Association, spearheaded by Philippe Faure-Brac (World Champion 1992). The competition allows sommeliers globally to challenge themselves in high pressure conditions and in all the aspects required from a professional, but it is more than that. It reaches beyond the title, beyond the achievements. It is about creating a foundation for the profession to continue to reach higher standards. It presents an opportunity to exchange ideas and strengthen the global community. It forces the participants to reflect on the many nuances our field contains as well as consider ways to improve themselves and those around them. It is remarkable to notice that it works: With every edition more countries participate and mark themselves as serious candidates. With every edition the average level seems to rise another little bit. And with every edition more people follow it and become inspired.

Touchdown

We land in Paris Monday the 6th of February - the day before the official program starts. We share a dinner with a few of the other candidates that are also good friends. Anticipation and impatience is in the air, mixed with the joy of seeing people you missed. All of us can’t wait for Wednesday to arrive – on Wednesday one of the toughest parts is on the schedule: Theory. A monster, sort of like the Boggart in Harry Potter; seemingly always taking the most dreaded form. Theory is infinite: Geography, history, chemistry, geology, producers, legislation, viticulture, vinification, coffee, tea, cigars, spirits, sake… The list goes on and the more you dive into it, the vaster it becomes. Studying theory makes you resonate with the Socriatic paradox: “The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing”. The realization of how much is yet to be learned, can be used as a great motivation: After all, the depth and width of the wine world is part of the fascination. I do see sense in learning about Romania, because it will give me a better understanding of why say Burgundy is special. It creates a wider reference. I would say over time, studying for the theory parts again and again, have made me understand much more about wine. I have always enjoyed training my memory to hold a lot of information, and I would say I excel in learning the long, complicated lists, be it producers within an appellation or the Grand Crus of Alsace. It did take time however, to change all those facts into actual knowledge. A continues process where different learning techniques became crucial. I can connect the dots now in ways I previously wasn’t able to.

Subjects and reflections such as these are things, among many others, talked about on the big walk around tasting the 7th. Here, most candidates meet each other, some again, some for the first time. Right before dinnertime, we are introduced by Markus Del Monego MW (World Champion of 1998) to the disciplines the next day: “Tomorrow, you will have written tasting, written theory and a practical task. (…) Keep in mind that all questions are carefully written with attention to detail. If you for instance mention 10 things when we ask for 4, you will not be given any points. Pay attention: Listen to what we say. Read what we have asked. And you will be fine!” While I doubt too many of the 68 candidates were feeling fine, it was clear, that the Technical Committee really wished for everyone to be at ease and capable of doing their very best the following day.

We are then escorted to a majestic welcoming ceremony at Quai d’Orsay. William Wouters, President of ASI, includes in his speech words that all of us would need to hold on to throughout the challenges ahead: “In a competition there will be winners. This means some will not achieve the results they hoped for. But bear in mind everything you have already reached to be here”.

The Quarter Final

We enter the Ballroom of Pullmann Montparnasse. 68 tables are lined up with 4 glasses of red wine and one mysterious beverage on each. Immediately I think; This is different to what I have seen in previous competitions. I wonder what the format will be? Soon it is revealed: “Identify these four redwines and name the common vinification method”. Of the red wines 3 are ruby and with pale color intensity; the first has purple hue a and a moderate color saturation. They all share a high aroma intensity, elevated acidity, a florality ranging from blue to red flowers and a core of red fruit in varying ripeness. Two of them have very marked tannins and a warming alcohol. None have signs of new oak. Pretty soon I decide the common denominator has to be whole bunch fermentation – which proved to be correct. An answer of partly carbonic maceration was also accepted. You already have a clear idea of the varietals in the glass, but use the support of the vinification method to try and reach a conclusion. I end up with Syrah from Crozes-Hermitage, Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara, Garnacha from Spain and a Langhe Nebbiolo, which yielded 2/4 correct. Then the second half of the tasting is uncovered: A full written organoleptic analysis of the beverage in the glass, with special attention being paid to the age of it, in 6 minutes.

WEDNESDAY-QUARTER FINAL-MORNING

I believe most candidates finished in time. To me it had to be either a sherry or some obscure curiosity. I went down the VORS Palo Cortado Sherry road – many ended up with a Madeira; a classic swap in blind tasting. I perhaps drink an abnormal amount of Sherry, so I felt much at home and had a stroke of luck there as it indeed was a Palo Cortado we had in the glass. Theory is the next beast to be tackled: And it was a big one. 100 questions – many of them requiring 10 or more answers in one quesion in the span of 90 minutes. Many didn’t complete. I barely managed, and on the call of “5 minutes left” I fill out the missing 2 pages.

After a lunch we return to the Ballroom and the waiting game begins: For those who have a high candidate number it would be hours until they are called in to the practical task. I always look forward to service tasks as it is what I do most of on daily basis. Here the key is not to overthink it – try and stick to the logical solution. The service task in the quarterfinal is always a short one, to proof that the sommelier knows how to handle clients and wine in practice. The level of efficiency needed to carry it out often poses a challenge. In this instance the task is announced as service for 4 guests: “We have waited a long time and are in a hurry. We would like a half bottle of Bordeaux. You have three minutes”. Being polite and acknowledging mistakes is an important part of guest relations hence, you should apologize for the waiting time and carry on assuring the guests get the requested wine. Also, you must take into consideration that the guests are in a hurry when recommending food to go with the chosen bottle. Next pitfall: The only wine available was warm! Do you notice? How do you handle it? I notified the guest, put it in the ice bucket and opened it from there to maximize the time on ice before serving. Some denied serving it, as they feared the quality was compromised, some carried on directly to serving after notifying the guest. What really was the right way to go I wouldn’t know, but that is part of the fun: Keep questioning the solutions you turn to.

Before the result of the quarterfinals would be revealed, a day of masterclasses awaited. The waiting time is hard to handle, but understandable, as correcting that many theory- and tasting tests is a huge job in itself. On the masterclasses there is always inspi - ration to be found: We had a class with Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, where we got a good idea of the generous, drinkable 2018 vintage and we tasted great cognacs where we got an introduction to the identity of the region through Rémy Martin, Hennessy and Martell before the trip continued to Panthéon in celebration of our beautiful host city: Paris!

SEMI FINAL

Thursday evening, we depart to Paris City Hall. It is time for the announcement of the semi-finalists. The location is nothing less than spectacular and the air seems electric with hope, anxiety, and enthusiasm. Who will get to continue?

Announcements are hard – it is when the exclusion begin. Everyone has worked so hard and the thought that some were perhaps unlucky, and others simply wasn’t enough, can seem unbearable. One by one we are called to the stage. Once all 17 semi-finalists are gathered, it is a beautiful sight: Every continent is represented! I have to fight to hold back the tears of heartbreak for those who didn’t make the cut – among them some very dear friends. At the same time, we must remain focused – semi-finals are no joke. Despite the many feelings ranging from disappointment to relief, there is this genuine, beautiful happiness for one another between the candidates and a sincere wish for all to perform their best going forward. That level of companionship is hard to describe but invaluable to experience.

The Semi-final commerce the next day. We start at 10.00 with a written test. Even more difficult than the one of the quarterfinals, this one is shorter: Just 15 questions – mostly on the recent news of the wine world as well as an open question: ‘What expertise’s should a good sommelier cover?’ An interesting one, which I would love to see the answers to published!

SEMIFINALISTS:

• Valeria Gamper (Argentina)

• Suvad Zlatic (Austria)

• Tom Ieven (Belgium)

• Reeze Choi (China)

• Sotiris Neofytidis (Cyprus)

• Nina Jensen (Denmark)

• Pascaline Lepeltier (France)

• Manuel Schembri (Iceland)

• Wataru Iwata (Japan)

• Raimonds Tomsons (Latvia)

• Chuan Ann Tan (Malaysia)

• Francesco Marzola (Norway)

• Andrea Martinisi (New Zealand)

• Jo Wessels (South Africa)

• Reza Nahaboo (Switzerland)

• Kai-Wen Lu (Taiwan)

• Mark Guillaudeau (USA)

Following a light lunch, we are escorted to another room to await our number being called for the practical tasks. The spirit is high and we get to socialize as much as the nerves will allow: A few rounds of hangman, a chat about cool socks and a few people taking a nap.

The semifinal tasks are constituted of 3 rooms. The first you could dub “The tasting room”. Here we are first asked to identify three red wines and decide the common denominators. They are evidently all Bordeaux-blends – something all candidates caught. But what’s more, it is revealed, is that they are in fact all the same wine aged 18 months in new oak, but different types of oak! “Can you please identify the oak type used?” It is difficult not to be a little intimidated by the knowing smile of Andreas Larsson (World Champion 2007), the calculated observations of Heidi Mäkinen MW (placed 5th in 2016) and the detailed Olivier Poussier (World Champion 2000) as you try manage within 1 minute. The next exercise is more familiar: A full organoleptic description of a 2016 Gusbourne (sparkling wine from England) – nailed spot on by the South African Joe Wessels, while I was in Champagne – kudos! Lastly, we should identify 5 beverages. Something I am normally comfortable with, but these ones get me flipped with a Sloe Gin and an Umeshu sake hitting me off course.

Room 2 is taking a contem - porary glance at the role of a sommelier. First a task testing your theoretical knowledge of cocktails. Arvid Rosengren (World Champion 2016) announces that him and Paz Levinson (4th in 2016) have ordered a Sazerac and an Aviation: “Can you make these cocktails and if not, tell us why, and suggest a suitable alternative. You have 2 minutes.” From the mis en place station it is evident that neither can be made but a modern, post war interpretation of Sazerac can be done by substituting Cognac with Rye and a Last Word would be able to replace the Aviation as Crème de Violette is missing, but green Chartreuse is available. Then we are onwards to an identification of 5 beverages that proves to be all non-alcoholic, followed by the task of creating a 4 course vegan menu using the beverages just identified! How fun! And challenging… For a moment there I am on the verge of just creating a 3 course menu as I mess up the time (3 minutes) with the amount of courses (4). But I get to save it by throwing in amouche buche as well as a suggestion of how to incorporate the 5th beverage (Phew!).

Room 3 is the service room with a table of four: Serge Dubs (World Champion 1989), Shinya Tasaki (World Champion 1995), Markus Del Monego (World Champion 1998) and Paolo Basso (World Champion 2013). We are told that Mr. Monego is the host and Mr. Tasaki the guest of honour, to check our Mis en

Place, serve a bottle of champagne and that a guest have ordered a beer to be served –all in just three minutes. That is tight. I choose to skip the part of checking Mis en place as I am too afraid to lose on time. But of course, there is a hidden trap: The beer is in fact expired (my apologies to Serge Dubs for serving you too old beer)!

After we have finished, we go chat with the other candidates. Everyone has more or less the same feeling: Relief, pride and a bit of self-punishing. Reeze Choi shares his wonderfully humorous side and lightens the spirit of us all.

Friday evening and the entire Saturday now need to pass before the final three will be on stage.

The Final

We are on the grande stage of Paris La Défense Arena, a crowd of 4000 in front of us. As the semi-finalists are called down from stage in order of their placement the pressure builds. The magic of being one of the final three approaches. This year, Wataru Iwata and Pascaline Lepeltier is with Reeze Choi, Raimonds Tomsons and I in the top five. A particular tough place to hear your name called from as it is so close. All you want in that moment is just the chance at it and it is right there – right in front of you! Wataru Iwata is called first. That leaves four of us. The fourth place is perhaps the hardest to receive. As Pascaline Lepeltier is announced, I, alongside many in the room, feel a certain melancholy: Pascaline is one of my great idols who I’d have loved to see on stage. Suddenly the final three are left. I am one of them. It is an unbelievable feeling. I have to remind myself to stay in the moment, because it feels like a dream.

On the final stage there are many new initiatives in terms of the tasks: We have a bartender collegue we can seek help with to make a Margarita and an Old Fashioned for the first table while we then pour a glass of Dom Pérignon 2013 for the two last guests at the table, who could choose between three different sparkling wines. We get a floating 14 minute task with two tables to take care of alone, as our restaurant manager has left: At one table they have ordered a bottle of Magnum Château d’Issan to be decanted for the main course, but just as we assume the decantation, two guests of the other table walks in to complete the party and they request a bottle of champagne immediately! Also they would like to hear more about a wine their friend have acquired, and as he is not here, we are allowed to “speak freely”. Something neither of us really get around to do is my impression, as the wine had volatile acidity that we don’t catch. But surely you wonder when it is phrased that way. After that you can reassume the decanting part. 14 minutes seems like plenty of time, so perhaps you even take the chance and return to the first table to check in on the cocktails and if they would like some more champagne. The idea of creating more of a service scenario worked out very well and perhaps permits the sommelier better to show her/his skills, as there is a more natural interaction between the candidate and the guests.

Then: Another speed tasting. This time white wines. Again, trusting your gut instinct again proves crucial and difficult to do. Perhaps it is just me, but something interesting happens to your tastebuds when you are under pressure. It feels like it is down to 50% or something. I wonder how that can be amended? Then to pieces of rock are brought in front of us. An alternate pairing between soil and wine awaits: Pair two of the four wines with a rock each. A game of logic, as you are trying to figure out what grapes and styles usually connects to the granite/schist and the slate that we have in front of us – I believe most sommeliers have a certain love for rocks, so it is a fun task. This is followed by two red wines: One to analyze fully. It is clearly a superb wine! You must choose wisely what to emphasize as the wine is complex with a lot to offer. The next task is to identify the vintage of the second red wine, as it appears to be the same wine in a different year, and also: Sell it to the audience! While it is always difficult to sell something you are not sure what is, the wine itself is inspiring and it is a wonderful moment to connect with the audience and really sense the special moment you find yourself in. With great wines like these, there are a set of common factors that weigh into a selling situation, and you get to show your understanding of the wine. Upon the revelation that it was two different vintages of Petrus we had tasted; we were in awe. To taste something so unique in such a setting will leave a memory imprinted for life –and how often do you get to taste wines like that blind?

The last tasks are using the white wines we just tasted to suggest pairings from a menu containing 12 different options as well as elaborate on the 2013 vintage in Champagne. Lastly we have a task of correcting a list of wines and spirits keeping an eye at BOTH the wines themselves as well as the prices. Here I come to understand, that division under pressure is hard: One Euro is 7,5 Danish krone. My entire brainpower goes into calculating these prices, so much so I hardly notice anything else – a big error. The moment I put down the list, I recognize five more things to correct, but it is too late; a valuable lesson learned, and a demonstration of the discoveries you make by being in a competition.

Lastly, we finish with an exercise in picture recognition. A game rewarding patience –a weak spot for me – as the pictures gets easier and easier with each one, but also brings in less points. I am too quick here, giving it a go one picture too early in many cases – if only I had just waited one more. Another takeaway I will be sure to bring.

The 17th Champion

After the final your force is drained: You have given it everything. Being on a stage like that transforms you - no matter the outcome. It is that transformation which creates the purpose. You learn things about yourself and your craft. Hopefully you get to set an example for someone else –someone who feels represented in what you do. Because representation matters – it allows us to dream and decides how high we dare aim: And dreams are the beginning of the realization. Yes, representation matters greatly and therefore I am very glad that Raimonds Tomsons emerged the winner and gets to represent us all! He has inspired both me and many, many others through his performances, and I am sure he will carry the responsibility well after the magnificent Marc Almert (World Champion 2019) who has executed it with grace.

Reeze Choi received the bronze and I can’t wait to see, what he will do next in life. He is one of the most impressive sommeliers I have met, and the character and sense of perspective he brings to our field is hugely important and inspirational!

I am grateful for the silver, and more than anything, I am grateful for all the experiences it came with. The journey has been incredible and this culmination of it indescribable.

A thank you to all parts involved including Sponsors, The French Sommelier Association lead by Philippe Faure-Brac, Volunteers, the entire ASI and Danish Sommelier Association. And finally, a congratulations to ASI: You are succeeding in the noble mission of making Sommeliers across the globe better.