The Association de la Sommellerie International (ASI) is in its final stages of preparations for what is expected to be the largest ASI Best Sommelier of the World contest in its history. The tri-annual event, originally planned for 2022, was postponed to 2023 because of delays in hosting its regional, continental contests over the past two years as a result of the global pandemic. With only a week to go before candidates and delegates arrive, from more than 65 countries from around the world, ASI President William Wouters says, “the road to Paris has a been a long and winding one, but thanks to the strength and resilience of the global sommelier community and cooperation and dedication of our hosts, the USDF (L’Union de la Sommellerie Française), we are confident this will be a contest for the ages.”
The responsibility of creating the weeklong contest, which features various competitive elements leading into the finale at Paris La Défense Arena has been led by the USDF, and its president, himself a former Best Sommelier of the World, Philippe Faure-Brac. Faure-Brac says “organizing such an event can’t be done all by myself. First, we decided all together within UDSF, including our 21 regional presidents, to select Paris as host city. We also requested their help in creating a team of volunteers from all our regions in France. We will need people to open bottles, check them, manage the glassware, and so on so we need all forces to be present. Above all our volunteers, I have a professional team working daily on the event, and nothing can be done without them.”
The USDF is also being supported by a long list of notable partners including ASI’s partners and contest partners including: Pullman Hotels and Resorts, Dom Pérignon, L’Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Paris la Défense Aréna, Vinexposium, Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, Les Vins du Beaujolais, Vignobles Cruze et Lorenzetti, Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac, Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto, Eurocave, Château Phélan Ségur, Vignobles Foncalieu, Empreinte par Audiard, Château de Parnay, and The Macallan.
While the USDF and ASI finalize their organizational efforts, the 68 candidates are also in their final stages of preparation. Reigning Best Sommelier of the World Marc Almert of Germany says his final preparations for the last contest, held in Antwerp, Belgium involved nightly ‘flashcard sessions’ along with daily wine tastings, weekly spirits, beer and sake tastings and various timed service tasks. Of the preparations he says “perseverance is the largest challenge. You must have the discipline to sit down after a long day on the floor and going through flashcards, perhaps on topics that you do not enjoy as much as others or say no to your friends and family when they ask you to join on an event or an evening out, because you are busy studying or travelling. This can be very hard.”
For those competing for the title this year he reminds them “to be humble, be mindful, and be curious. Remember to not only focus on theory, tasting and service, but also to prepare yourself mentally…. Remember also that there are other things in life too and find your balance. Make sure to not neglect your family, your friends, and your work. And prepare mentally and emotionally both for winning, but also for the possibility that you do not achieve your goals, to avoid falling into a pit; it is a marathon, and not a sprint.
Click HERE to discover the candidates.
Candidates arrive in Paris on Tuesday 7 February, with the quarterfinals taking place on Wednesday, February 8th. Candidates advancing to the semi-final round will be announced on the evening of Thursday 9 February at a cocktail dinner hosted at Paris City Hall. ASI will send a press release on February 9th immediately following the announcement.
The team in charge of creating the exams for the contest is the ASI Contests Committee, led by Olivier Poussier and Shinya Tasaki, both former winners of the Best Sommelier of the World title. Of the leadup to the exam Poussier says “it takes months of preparation. We have a data bank of questions which is constantly being updated to reflect changes in laws and trends. However, it is also exceptionally important for us to adapt our contests to be reflective of the host countries cultures, traditions, and beverages.