February 2023 Candidate Sotiris Neophytidis
The Winners at the Best Sommelier of the World
The ASI Best Sommelier of the World contest in Paris came to a thrilling conclusion in front of a crowd of 4,000 wine professionals and enthusiasts at the Paris La Défense Arena.
The crowd was quiet in anticipation of the revelation of the final three. One by one the final rankings of the semi-finalist were announced. Our candidate Sotiris Neophytidis was waiting anxiously on stage, at number 10 his name was called. He did not make it to the final. Like Sotiris, as they all heard their names called, the candidates became aware they would not be in the final. As a result their long journey to become the Best Sommelier of the World (for most the road includes winning their own country’s best sommelier contest) fell only one step short of completion. The tension grew, and a hush fell over the crowd, as the number of semi-finalists remaining approached the final three.
With the elimination of Pascaline Lepeltier (France), only the final three contestants Nina Jensen (Denmark, who was runner up in Cyprus’ Best Sommelier of Europe and Africa 2021), Raimonds Tomsons (Latvia), and Reeze Choi (China) remained on stage. The final contest, which consisted of various tasks designed to challenge the sommeliers’ knowledge, tasting skills, service acumen and ability to remain calm under pressure brought out the best in the candidates.
After announcing Reeze Choi as the second runner-up, Jensen and Tomsons knew one of them would be announced ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2023. After a moment of extreme anticipation Raimonds Tomsons was announced as the winner, by ASI President William Wouters, to a large round of applause.
Of the competition, ASI President William Wouters says, “it took more than 30 years for this contest to return to Paris. It was worth the wait! From the first day candidates arrived, they were treated to the hospitality and amazing gastronomy of France. As for the contest itself, it honored the commitment of our candidates by being both challenging and fair. It is with great pride that we announce Raimonds Tomsons as the winner. I have no doubts they will be a fantastic representative of ASI, and an inspiration to our global sommelier community.”
The road to Paris started in Cyprus on November 2021, where Salvatore Castano of Italy won and in late January Santiago of Chile hosted the Americas contest where the Argentinian Valeria Gamper won. In November 2022 in Japan’s Nagoya, Mason Ng of Singapore was the winner of the Asia and Oceania Contest.
Compared to 20 years ago our own candidates are remarkably well informed about wines, vineyards, legislations vintages, and more, to most consumers trivial, information from around the world. They need to read volumes of books, gather a lot of information on countries like China’s new wine regions, follow wine development of practices in England, Denmark or Belgium, just to name a few of the newcomers. Young sommeliers use their National Contests, the ASI (Association Sommellerie Internationale) Continental Contests (like the Best of Europe and Africa) regional contests like the Open Balkan where Cyprus takes part and of course the Best of the World to demonstrate their wine knowledge as well its practical application.
What was positive, especially in the final is that judges tested the candidate’s knowledge but in a real, working and sales environment. After all a sommelier is primarily a front-line member of the restaurant brigade and, like a chef, is part of providing a dining experience to the paying guest. The knowledge and understanding of wines, spirits, beers, cognacs, distillations as well as cocktails, cigars, tea, coffee, gastronomy and food was tested with a hard written test of 100 questions for 1 and half hour as well as blind tasting of wines and spirits.
More practical tests followed during the quarterfinals. At a cocktail reception that took place at the grand hall of Quay D’orsay (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs) the 16 semifinalists were announced. Out of 68 candidates from 65 countries only 16 qualified for the semis that took place on the following day. When the number of Sotiris Neophytidis was announced there were many cheers, mine the loudest. Already Sotiris is known for his ability in winning, being the winner of the National (May 2022) and Open Balkan Contest that took place in October. Now he is among the 16 best in the world. Bravo Cyprus, for the first time we have a candidate in the semis. It took us 20 years, many worthy candidates have represented Cyprus, Sotiris was the first to make it to the semis. He had to battle it out with the 16 best in the world in order to reach the final. In my mind I was thinking already of the finals, with him on stage.
The semis were harder with a more difficult written test. According to Sotiris the unique aspect of the semis and we witnessed also on the finals, is the importance it places to sommeliers relationship with customers, above and beyond a mastery of mere facts and figures. The focus will always be on knowledge, the interaction with the judges is very key. They are looking of how well you can sell a wine and interact with the guests, having to deal with customers on other tables, and careful not to serve an expired beer, a trick that many sommeliers failed to notice and inform the guests (judges). In real world you must always check the expire date of what you are selling. Interaction with the guests was important, how well you can sell and are you accessible, do you as a sommelier, make the guests feel comfortable? Modern Sommeliers are reliable and put guests at ease. Gone were the days that you were judged on the ton of knowledge you possess. Real life social skills will need to pair with wide-ranging wine knowledge.
Many of us think we talk too much about the profession as one that is elitist. Sommeliers though, the ones I know, are some of the most passionate people in the world when it comes to wine, and they are simply eager to share that passion with you, the guest. So, look out for them in restaurants.
Sommeliers with passion, knowledge, and the ability to use both while selling wine should be prepared to show off all those skills in future contests. Being a great sommelier requires a lot more than just information. In the end, what a sommelier does is not only being a specialist in the product, but in being able to fully explain the wine. Knowing how it is made, the little tricks that are used in that region of the world, and those which are not used in that region of the world, and to actually truly understand the wine, in fact.
Sotiris was number 10. There are two other contest to aim to be in top thrre, the Best Sommelier of Europe and Africa, Belgrade 2024 and in three years, again Best Sommelier of the World Lisbon 2026. Sotiris and a couple of other Somms will be getting ready. No one knows yet who will represent Cyprus, but the yardstick of success is much higher now. Raymond is a worthy world Champion, Sotiris set the standards higher for Cyprus and the winners in our island are the professionals, who have someone and something to look up.
