6th World Sommeliers Competition comes To Cape Town

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Twelve of the world’s finest young sommeliers will showcase their skills to a team of international judges when the 6th Concours International des Jeunes Sommeliers gets under way at Cape Town’s venerable Mountain Nelson Hotel on Friday, 21 September.

The competitors – aged between 21 and 35 – will vie for the honour of being named the world’s top young sommelier. Entries have been received from Australia, Austria, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the USA.

South Africa will be represented by Jeff Lopes, who works at Johannesburg’s The Saxon boutique hotel, and who won the country’s Jeunes Sommelier Competition earlier this year.

Bryan Dawes, education director of the England-based Court of Master Sommeliers; Brian Julyan, CEO of the Court; author, wine consultant and master somellier Frank Kämmer; and Neil Grant, who trained under the American Court of Master Sommeliers and is now chair of the newly-established Sommeliers Association of South Africa, will comprise the judging panel.

The event has been organised by Francois Ferreira, Bailli Délégué (national president) and Allison Rutowitz, Bailli Délégué Honoraire (past national president) of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs South Africa.

Mr. Ferreira said that hosting the competition is an important honour for this country.

“The International Chaîne has more than 40,000 members from seventy three countries.

“They are the cream of food lovers, chefs, and hospitality managers – which is where the sommeliers fit in – and they wouldn’t have invited us to hold the competition here if they weren’t absolutely sure that we could provide a venue of the highest standards, and that we could organise a programme of visits to world class wineries and wine estates that are worthy of competitors of such a high calibre.”

Organising committee member George Parkes, the Echanson (person acknowledged for their outstanding knowledge of wines and spirits) of the South African Chaîne, said that the organisation began working in 2010 to bring the competition to South Africa.

“It’s been a long haul, but Marie Jones, the international vice-president of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, has said that she has every faith that we’ll put on a wonderful show – and that’s exactly what we intend to do.” (Marie Jones was elected Bailli Délégué of Great Britain in 1994, but stood down to devote her energy to the international board in 2002. She is now also a member of the committee of the International Jeunes Sommeliers Competition.)

“The international finals will take place during a Grand Chapitre (multi-day food and wine event) that will include visits to the most important wine growing areas of the Peninsula,” said Mr. Parkes.

“The competition itself will include an hour-long theory test, and practical skills challenges like a champagne service test, the identification of spirits and liqueurs by nose only, blind tastings, decanting of red wine, glass service, and wine and food pairing – and there’ll even be a wine list correction test, during which the participants will have to spot mistakes in information provided about wines from both well-known and little-known producers.

“The competition will take place over a period of about eight hours, and the winner will be announced at a gala dinner and induction ceremony at the Table Bay Hotel on Saturday the 22nd,” said Mr. Parkes.

The Grand Chapitre of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs South Africa will take place in Cape Town from the 15th to the 23rd of September.

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