America Wins WOSA Sommelier World Cup

The inaugural winner of the Wines Of South Africa Sommelier World Cup is Christopher Bates from the US, who came away with the top overall score after a rigorous series of theoretical and practical examinations in the knowledge of South African wine.  He was up against 11 other professional specialists in wine service, all chosen as their national representatives in the challenge conceived and arranged by the industry organisation, Wines of South Africa.

The 12 finalists were examined by a seven-member panel of internationally trained and certified sommeliers and wine educators.  Competitors came from the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, the US, Canada and South Korea, all countries which import South African wines and that enjoy an established culture of professional wine service.

The competition culminated in a multi-part examination held at the Grande Roche in Paarl.  The first part involved a written test and was followed by a blind tasting in which participants had to accurately identify a selection of wines made locally. The top four scorers also took part in a live “restaurant” contest on stage with the judges acting as restaurant patrons. There was a large audience present of wine producers and members of the local hospitality industry.

Said Birch: “The week-long visit, culminating in Saturday’s contest, created a great opportunity to expose an important group of opinion leaders to the diversity and excellence of South African wines. Many sommeliers play a key role in compiling wine lists for restaurants and hotels, and are in this respect, ideal ambassadors for us.

“There has been huge interest from the international wine fraternity and judging by the level and extent of support, there is definitely the appetite to continue the competition. We hope to involve a broader spectrum of countries in future, particularly from Africa, where the profession is still in its infancy.”