September saw sommeliers taking over Cape Town and the winelands with two big sommelier stand-offs taking place. A new WOSA Cape Sommelier Cup winner and Moet & Chandon Best Young Sommelier were crowned. And who could forget the high the SA wine industry were on after the Tim Atkin Report was released? The man called us the most exciting wine-making country. We got to taste his 95+ rated wines...
Judy attends the nail-biting finals of the Moet & Chandon Best Young Sommelier Competition
The Vineyard Hotel hosted the Moët & Chandon Best Young Sommelier 2019 finals on Wed 25th Sept - putting the young 21-30-year old contestants to the test. Congratulations to the Winner: Laurie Cooper - Abingdon Wine Estate
There were 3 tests - so watch Laurie strutting her stuff HERE
Another epic battle of the somms witnessed by Judy: WOSA 2019 Sommelier World Cup Finals
The 11 Somms spent the morning being put through their paces with a tough blind tasting, a theory exam and a practical assessment. After this arduous process, 3 finalists were announced, who were then centre stage in front of an audience of about 100 somms, trade and media, doing the final 3 tests.
The tasks were tough: Aerate a bottle of MCC and serve equally to 6 guests at a table, identify the soil types and areas that 4 Chenins came from (Blind tasting) and open a bottle of De Krans (which apparently had a stuck cork) - with a hot rod which needed to be heated over a gas heater. This really was hard, as they had 9 minutes, and none of the contestants managed to open the bottle, but did cause a fair bit of mirth and Richelle particularly amused the judges with her banter to keep them entertained while she tried her luck!
The competition is a wonderful way to introduce sommeliers all over the world to South Africa and its wines. There are about 25 of them here presently to tour the winelands - creating loyal ambassadors along the way!
We might just have to lock Judy up in the office for October as it seems she had all the fun in September and also got to attend one of the best tastings of the year: the Tim Atkin 95+ tasting.
UK Master of Wine,Tim Atkin, has made a significant impact in raising the profile of the South African Wine industry,
He thinks that South Africa is the most exciting wine-making country in the world at the moment, and that as South Africans, we should stop doubting ourselves and be proud and confident, as our wines are brilliant!
