After a two-year hiatus because of Covid, the UK Sommelier of the Yr competitors was again with a bang and noticed Arnese bag the highly-respected title on Monday 18th July 2022.
He pipped this yr’s runner-up Agnieszka Swiecka (The 5 Fields Restaurant) and 2019 runner-up Gareth Ferreira (Core by Clare Smyth) to the publish.
The competitors is organised by The Caterer in partnership with the UK Sommelier Academy (UKSA) – a brand new non-profit organisation, formally launched yesterday – which gives entry to growth, mentorship and schooling for all UK-based sommeliers.
Following regional heats in April 2022, 11 sommeliers had been chosen to compete in Monday’s finals at The Savoy Lodge in London.
‘The best and most unflappable sommeliers are current,’ mentioned James Stagg, editor of The Caterer.
After a morning of checks, this was whittled down to 6 hopefuls, which was in flip trimmed all the way down to the three finalists.
The three finalists: Agnieszka Swiecka, Gareth Ferreria and Vincenzo Arnese
Testing data, service, and dedication – what had been the duties?
On the UK’s hottest day of the yr to date, Nicolas Clerc MS, president of the UK Sommelier Academy and the competitors’s host, revealed which three finalists would battle it out on stage in entrance of the judges, the technical committee and a 150-strong viewers: ‘Should you suppose it’s heat now, this room will boil this afternoon!’, he mentioned.
Competing individually on stage one after the opposite, every finalist was put by their paces with a set of demanding duties:
- Figuring out errors on a wine checklist
- Bling tasting
- Meals and wine pairing eventualities
- Decantation
- Data quiz
- Taittinger Champagne pour
The Champagne pour; the decantation; the blind tasting
The judges, together with previous winners and trade consultants, scrutinised the candidates from their seats on stage, the place they acted as restaurant clients.
This was overseen by a star-studded technical committee together with head decide Kathrine Larsen MS in addition to Laura Rhys MS, Claire Thevenot MS, Eric Zwiebel MS and Matt Wilkins MS.
Having grown up with a father who competed in lots of nationwide and worldwide sommelier competitions, Romané Basset, son of the late Gerard Basset and one of many judges in yesterday’s competitors, famous that the questions appear to get more durable and the requirements larger yearly.
‘Should you don’t increase the requirements to the present stage of sommelerie, the sommeliers who win don’t get the identical sense of accomplishment. The questions have risen to the event of the standard of sommeliers,’ he mentioned.
Setting trade requirements
The competitors showcases the extraordinary depth of information, in addition to the dedication to the craft of sommelerie, of the most effective sommeliers within the UK.
Not solely is it an incredible reflection of expertise and professionalism for the winner, however additionally it is a approach for sommeliers to problem and benchmark themselves.
‘It’s extra a private goal relatively than an expert one. You wish to problem your self and also you wish to see how far you’ll be able to go,’ Arnese informed Decanter simply minutes after being introduced the winner.
When requested how he saved his cool on stage and even elicited just a few laughs from the viewers and judges, Arnese mentioned: ‘I believe I used to be cheering myself up.’
However the competitors goes past difficult people to be the most effective they are often, it additionally serves as inspiration for the youthful technology of sommeliers, in addition to these considering of beginning out within the trade.
Emma Denney, assistant head sommelier at The Clove Membership and one of many closing six candidates, informed Decanter: ‘It’s very inspiring, seeing that there have been three ladies within the semi-final. And having Agnieska get by to the ultimate has been so inspiring. It makes me wish to push actually laborious’.
Arnese mentioned that he’s had ‘nice help’ from his restaurant, Alain Ducasse on the Dorchester: ‘I believe it makes a distinction to the temper and the environment of the restaurant. I believe it’s going to deliver the workforce collectively, that’s what’s necessary.’
An trade recovering post-Covid
One in all many industries hit severely by lockdown restrictions in the course of the pandemic, the hospitality sector has been struggling to recuperate and entice potential waiters and sommeliers again to the ground.
The UK Sommelier of the Yr competitors has supplied a much-needed morale increase.
‘It was evaluation of the place the trade is, and the place sommelerie is, in the meanwhile. We had no clue who had left [the industry] or who had joined. However some superb individuals remained and the extent was very excessive immediately. I hope it’s an inspiration for individuals to come back into the trade. I hope the youthful technology is impressed,’ Clerc informed Decanter.
Gerard Basset Award
Introduced by Nina and Romané Basset, spouse and son of the late Basset, this award was established in 2019 as a tribute to the nice sommelier.
Ian Harris, former chief govt of the WSET, was the primary to obtain this award, and it has subsequently been awarded to Ronan Sayburn MS and Christelle Guibert.
Talking on stage on the competitors, Nina Basset introduced celebrated sommelier Isa Bal MS because the 2022 recipient.
‘This yr’s winner is famend and far revered as a sommelier. He too was a really pricey good friend of Gerard’s. He’s passionate, devoted, and beneficiant together with his experience and data, and readily makes himself obtainable to assist sommeliers and mentor them. He’s a completely beautiful chap, and he’s additionally a profitable Michelin-starred restaurateur.
‘Gerard can be delighted to know that we’re honouring somebody very particular annually,’ she mentioned.
Following intense regional heats, the 11 finalists had been:
- Vincenzo Arnese, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
- Stefano Barbarino, Coravin Wine & Bubbles Bar
- Melania Battiston, Medlar
- Biagio Castaldo, Maison Estelle
- Emma Denney, The Clove Membership
- Gareth Ferreira, Clare Smyth
- Philipp Reinstaller, Trivet
- Agnieszka Swiecka, The 5 Fields Restaurant
- Lorenzo Tonelli, Maison Estelle
- Dion Wai, 67 Pall Mall
- Elvis Ziakos, TILA
Earlier winners
Previous winners of the UK Sommelier of the Yr competitors have included co chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards Ronan Sayburn MS, in addition to such sommelier royalty as Xavier Rousset MS, Eric Zwiebel MS, Claire Thevenot MS, Nicolas Clerc MS, Gearoid Devaney MS and Laura Rhys MS
The winners during the last 10 years have all been DWWA judges:
