Saturday, 29 November, 2025
The Drinks Business, Nimmi Malhotra
This year, India made its debut at the ASI Best Sommelier Asia Pacific 2025 competition, marking a new chapter for the country’s growing wine community.
Jai Singh, winner of Best Sommelier of India 2025, competed on behalf of the country at the competition held in Kuala Lumpur. He now hopes to qualify for the ASI Best Sommelier of the World, due to be held in Portugal in October 2026.
The milestone follows efforts by wine consultant Amrita Singh, who noticed India’s absence from previous ASI events. Investigating further, she found the country lacked a national body dedicated to the certification and representation of professional sommeliers.
That gap led to the creation of the Sommelier Association of India (SAI), which was officially inducted into the ASI College of Applicants and granted membership in February 2024.
The last 18 months have been pivotal, she says. “In the past year alone, Indian sommeliers have completed the ASI Certification, ASI Diploma and participated in International ASI education bootcamps, underscoring both their ambition and ability to meet global standards.”
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