PRESS RELEASE
Countdown to the ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2019
50 years after the first edition of the world’s most prestigious sommelier competition in Brussels (1969), the “ASI Best Sommelier of the World” is returning to Belgium once again. Over 65 sommeliers from 62 countries will be competing for the title of Best Sommelier in the World in Antwerp, from 11th-15th March 2019.
Back in Belgium after 50 years
From 11th-15th March 2019 the 16th edition of the most prestigious sommelier competition in the world will take place in the ‘Elisabethzaal’ in Antwerp. This unique triennial world championship has been organized by ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale/ International Sommelier Association)and the national sommelier associations since 1969. Many legends of the international sommellerie took part of this contest over the past half-century. The first edition of this competition took place in Brussels in 1969. Now three years after it was last held in Mendoza, Argentina, the competition returns to its roots in Europe.
World cup for wine waiters
A total of 65 sommeliers will take part in the competition in March 2019, which starts with the quarterfinal on the 11th March and ends with the grand finale on 15th March. In the final the three best sommeliers will battle for the most prestigious title in their craft worldwide. 62 countries will each present their most qualified candidate. This will include the three winners of the continental championships, namely Europe & Africa, Asia & Oceania and America.
Live recording and streaming
As there will only be space for 2,000 spectators in the ‘Elisabethzaal’ in Antwerp, the competition will also be broadcast live on a big screen with a live stream online.
Sommelier: More than just experts in wines…
The new edition of this international competition will be the perfect opportunity to show professionals and the public how the craft of sommeliers has evolved over the years. “Today the job involves much more than just pouring wine. Not only does a sommelier dispense a broad knowledge of the ever dynamic wine industry, but also other drinks such as beer, spirits, water, coffee, sake, etc. They also need to have an eye for human interactions, have a broad social intelligence and needs to deal with several economic criteria such as efficient management of supplies” says William Wouters.
Chairman of the ASI, Andres Rosberg from Argentina, says: “Wine expertise and trade skills can be gained in specialised schools, but experience is learned during informal processes, for example picked up in practice. This reality creates an obvious need for continued education, strengthened by personal experience, which is what ASI allows sommeliers to accomplish by organising different activities.”
https://bestworldsomm.com/contest
Best sommelier of the world 2019: the three shots given in Antwerp
The diamond capital will become that of the sommellerie next March. An exceptional meeting of which Terre de Vins will be one of the partners.
Fifty years after the first ASI competition for Best Sommelier in the World won by Frenchman Armand Melkonian, Belgium has been preparing for more than two years to welcome once again (*) the most prestigious event. And this Tuesday, September 18, less than six months of the event, the case took a very concrete turn with a presentation of the stakes of the competition, the ambitions of the organizers and the commitment of the partners.
While the member countries of the International Sommellerie Association still have a few weeks to select and register their representative, the three shots were given in a building with futuristic architecture that dominates the commercial port of the Flemish city. In the presence of Andrès Rosberg , Michèle Chantôme and Philippe Faure-Brac , respectively president, secretary general and treasurer of the ASI, William Wouters, president of the Gilde of the sommeliers of Belgium, spoke with humor and emotion the long preparatory work.
For if the more than sixty expected participants train on a daily basis in order to better defend their chances, in the shadows a team of volunteers works in Belgium to offer them the best possible conditions during the competition. And here, everything is a matter of means! The contribution of the partners at the forefront of which include the wines of the Cotes du Rhone and Austrian Wine is therefore essential to accommodate the national delegations and the media that will follow the contest disputed in three stages.
A multi-faceted contest
In this context, Terre de Vins (represented in Antwerp by Rodolphe Wartel its director) and its readers will occupy a privileged place since our title was chosen as a press partner for France as were Decanter for the United Kingdom and Meininger for Germany. A media orientation that goes in the direction desired by President Andres Rosberg upon his election, a little over a year ago in Bordeaux.
The contest is also an exceptional promotional showcase. To exploit this facet, France wine has largely mobilized in the image of Gérard Bertrand, the Malartic vineyards, the Clarence Dillon estate and the Perrin Family who have joined a very international pool of support where appear actors of the world Portuguese, Italian and Spanish winemakers. Domains and houses that will accompany the competition with master classes, tastings and presentations during the lunches and dinners planned in Antwerp from March 10th to 15th.
Finally, the diamond world will also contribute with, for the winner, a cluster-shaped brooch set with white and green diamonds. A unique model specially made for the occasion by the Untold house.
(*) In Brussels in 1983, after two Italian successes, Jean-Luc Pouteau brought the title back to France.
Below: Rodolphe Wartel and William Wouters united by the same desire to promote the profession of sommelier through the 2019 world.
