The latest winner of the Veritas Young Wine Writer of the Year Competition, Llewellyn Lambert, will be attending the Best Sommelier of the World Competition in Antwerp, Belgium later this month as a special guest on behalf of The South African Sommelier Association. Mr Lambert will be participating in the week-long activities (10 - 15 March) and write about it on an assortment of media platforms.
South Africa will be proudly represented by sommelier Jo Wessels, winner of the SASA Moët & Chandon Best Sommelier in South Africa 2018, currently working at Restaurant Opus V in Germany, who was himself the runner-up in the Veritas Young Wine Writer competition in 2017. The competition, which is coordinated by Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI), is deemed by many as one of the most gruelling challenges in the world of wine. Described as an Olympic-standard contest, the exalted winner’s title will undoubtedly open the door to a lucrative international career.
The competition has three components: a written examination, a segment in which contestants serve wine to the judges, and a ‘blind tasting’ evaluation. In this year’s contest, 65 sommeliers from 62 countries will be battling it out to compete with the very best internationally.
The profession of a sommelier is a complex one, and in the 21st century now requires that a proficient somm be fully informed on all topics relating to beer, spirits, sake, and waters, as well as tea and coffee.
WineLand Media has chosen to partner with the Veritas Young Wine Writer Competition, and will publish reports by Llewellyn Herbert on contest’s progress. Christo Pienaar, veritas-chairperson, says he is excited about the new collaboration between these two organisations and SASA. “This will contribute largely to our vision of giving young wine writers exposure and opportunities to write about wine and related subjects. We wish Jo and Llewellyn all of the best for the week in Belgium.”