CANADIAN, WILL PREDHOMME WINS WOSA'S SOMMELIER CUP

Afrikaans volg onder.

Image caption:  from left, winner of the 2013 WOSA Sommelier Cup, Will Predhomme from Canada; WOSA CEO, Su Birch; second runner-up, Anna Sviridenko from Russia and Morgan Harris, from the US, who was first runner-up.

Will Predhomme of Canada has won the 2013 Wines of South Africa (WOSA) Sommelier Cup. He achieved the top score in a closely fought challenge involving 12 international contestants who were rigorously tested to assess their knowledge of South African wine in a detailed multi-part theoretical, practical and service exam.

Although not yet widely employed in South Africa, professionally trained sommeliers in Europe and North America are in some cases accorded celebrity status. They are considered an influential gateway to the high end of the wine market. Their opinions carry great weight and they are assiduously courted by winemakers.

They serve as wine stewards, who procure wines for their fine-dining establishments, compile restaurant wine lists and recommend wines to pair with foods. Some even make their own boutique-label wines that are highly sought after by wine connoisseurs.

The 12 Sommelier Cup contestants were flown to South Africa after scoring the highest results in their home countries, when they were tested on their service capabilities and knowledge of South African wine. All full-time professional specialists in wine service, they arrived at the Cape earlier this week for first-hand exposure to the best of local wine and dining culture and to meet some of the country's top winemakers.

The first runner up is Morgan Harris from the US and second runner-up was Anna Sviridenko from Russia.

Predhomme is a top Canadian sommelier and a former title holder of the Best Sommelier in Ontario.

Other competing countries were the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, China and Hong Kong.

The finalists were examined by a six-member panel that included two international Master Sommeliers and a group of South African certified sommeliers. They were tested on their theoretical knowledge of South African wines and also had to taste wines blind and identify them correctly by variety and vintage. The top three scorers then had to appear in front of an audience, to be tested in a mock restaurant situation and asked to correctly decant wines, make wine and food pairing recommendations and also correctly identify wines tasted blind.

Fascination for the role of sommeliers has grown to such an extent that last year's documentary movie Somm, about four sommeliers who attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world, has been screened worldwide. It is scheduled to come to South Africa later this year.

WOSA CEO Su Birch said the competition had followed the highly successful inaugural event, held in 2010, the year of the FIFA World Cup, when the global focus was on South Africa as the host country.

"At that time, we wanted to highlight our country's great and very food-friendly wines to benefit from the worldwide attention South Africa was enjoying. The response to the first Sommelier Cup was very enthusiastic and helped to raise the profile of our wines in an upmarket restaurant environment. We decided to hold another contest this year, as currently South African wines are earning many favourable reviews from some of the world's leading critics. They are calling ours one of the most exciting and original wine-producing nations of the time and we wanted to take advantage of the prevailing positive interest."

She said once here, the contestants met winemakers and tasted the country's most celebrated wines.

For more details on this competition, judges and candidates, go to: www.wosasommeliercup.co.za or follow via #WOSASomm.

DATE                        October 12, 2013

ISSUED BY               DKC (De Kock Communications)

ON BEHALF OF       Wines of South Africa (WOSA)

QUERIES                

Pippa Carter, pippa@wosa.co.za  WOSA + 27 21 883 3860                                 

Tessa de Kock / Marlise Potgieter, DKC + 27 21 422 2690, + 27 82 579 235

Fotobyskrif:  van links, wenner van die WOSA Sommelierbeker van 2013, Will Predhomme van Kanada; WOSA se uitvoerende hoof, Su Birch; Anna Sviridenko van Rusland wat derde plek behaal het; en naaswenner, Morgan Harris, van die VSA. 

WILL PREDHOMME VAN KANADA WEN WOSA SE SOMMELIERSBEKER

Will Predhomme van Kanada is die wenner van Wines of South Africa (WOSA) se Sommeliersbeker van 2013. Ná ’n taai stryd tussen 12 internasionale deelnemers het  Predhomme die meeste punte gekry. Almal het ’n teoretiese, praktiese en dienseksamen voltooi wat hul kennis van Suid-Afrikaanse wyn tot in die fynste besonderhede getoets het.

Sommeliers met professionele opleiding is nog nie algemeen in Suid-Afrika in diens nie, maar in Europa en Noord-Amerika bereik van hulle die status van glanspersoonlikhede. Hulle word as ’n invloedryke deurgang na die topvlak van die wynmark beskou. Hul menings word hoog geag, en wynmakers ding naarstig om hul guns mee.

Hulle werk as wynkelners wat wyne vir hul fynproewer-eetplekke aankoop, restaurante se wynlyste opstel en wyne as pasmaats by disse aanbeveel. Van hulle maak hul eie wyn met boetiek-etikette wat onder wynkenners uiters gesog is.

Die twaalf mededingers om die Sommeliersbeker is na Suid-Afrika gebring nadat hulle in hul eie land die hoogste punte in ’n kennistoets van Suid-Afrikaanse wyn behaal het. Almal is voltydse professionele spesialiste wat wyndiens betref. Hulle het vroeër die week in Kaapstad aangekom sodat hulle die allerbeste plaaslike wyn-en-koskultuur eerstehands kon ervaar, en sommige van die land se voorste wynmakers kon ontmoet.

Morgan Harris from the US and second runner-up was Anna Sviridenko from Russia.

Die naaswenner is Morgan Harris van die VSA, met Anna Sviridenko van Rusland in die derde plek.

Predhomme is ’n a top Kanadese sommelier en ’n vorige wenner van die titel van Beste Sommelier in Ontario.

Die VK, België, Nederland, Duitsland, Swede, Finland, Noorweë, China en Hongkong is die ander lande wat verteenwoordig is.

Die deelnemers in die eindronde is onder die loep geplaas deur ’n paneel van ses lede wat twee internasionale Meestersommeliers asook Suid-Afrikaanse gesertifiseerde sommeliers ingesluit het. Hul teoretiese kennis van Suid-Afrikaanse wyn is getoets. Hulle moes wyne ook blind proe, en die kultivar en oesjaar korrek identifiseer. Die drie met die meeste punte moes toe voor ’n gehoor in ’n nagebootste restaurant-omgewing wyne oorgiet, as pasmaats vir bepaalde disse aanbeveel en ook wyne wat blind geproe was korrek identifiseer.

Die bekoring van die rol wat sommeliers speel, is tans só sterk dat verlede jaar se dokumentêre rolprent Somm, oor vier sommeliers wat probeer om die glansryke Meestersommelier-eksamen te slaag (’n toets met van die laagste slaagsyfers ter wêreld), orals ter wêreld vertoon is. Dit sal later vanjaar in Suid-Afrika te sien wees.

Su Birch, WOSA se uitvoerende hoof, het gesê die kompetisie volg in die voetspore van die heel eerste geleentheid wat in 2010 met groot groot welslae aangebied is. Dit was die jaar van die FIFA-wêreldbeker toe almal se oë op Suid-Afrika as gasheerland gevestig was.

“Destyds wou ons die kollig op ons land se uitstekende en uiters kos-vriendelike wyne laat val om die maksimum voordeel te haal uit die aandag wat Suid-Afrika toe geniet het. Daar was ’n geesdriftige reaksie op die eerste Sommeliersbeker-kompetisie, en dit het inderdaad gehelp om ons wyne ’n sterker profiel in uitsoek-restaurante te gee. Ons het besluit om vanjaar weer ’n kompetisie aan te bied omdat Suid-Afrikaanse wyne tansdeur van die wêreld se voorste wynskrywers hoog aangeslaan word. Hulle beskou ons as een van die opwindendste en oorspronklikste wynproduserende nasies, en ons wou voordeel uit dié positiewe belangstelling haal.”

Sy het gesê die deelnemers het van die plaaslike wynmakers ontmoet en van die land se mees gesogte wyne geproe.

Gaan na www.wosasommelierscup.co.za vir nadere besonderhede oor die kompetisie, beoordelaars en kandidate, of volg via #WOSASomm.

DATUM                                 12 OKTOBER 2013

UITGEREIK DEUR              DKC (DE KOCK KOMMIKASIE)

NAMENS                               WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA (WOSA)

NAVRAE                            

PIPPA CARTER, pippa@wosa.co.za, WOSA (021) 883-3860

TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422-2690 of (082) 579-2358