The Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS) is delighted to announce that premier Champagne house Moët & Chandon has signed a three-year sponsorship of its prestigious UK Sommelier of the Year competition.
“The UK Sommelier of the Year is a great fit with Moët & Chandon and we are very much looking forward to working with them as our new sponsor. Moët is one of the best-known and most prestigious champagne houses so this is great news for the future of the competition,” said AFWS executive director Sophie Roberts-Brown.
Said Moët & Chandon marketing manager Emelie De Vitis: “Since 1989, Moët & Chandon has been the trusted and inseparable partner of the World’s Best Sommelier Competition, so in 2012 we are delighted to take the natural step of becoming the title partner of the UK Sommelier of the Year competition. As the world’s most loved champagne brand, Moët & Chandon is proud to highlight its attachment to the sommelier profession and to encourage its development through education and training in the UK. We look forward to a hotly contested competition in 2012 and to growing our involvement with the entrants in years to come.”
The closing date for entries to the competition has also been extended to 10 April 2012. All entrants are asked to complete a first round questionnaire from which the top scoring candidates are chosen to go forward to the regional finals, being held on 30 April in London, Tunbridge Wells, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Manchester.
The winners of the regional finals will pit their skills in the grand final on 23 May 2012 at the London International Wine Fair (LIWF) at ExCel London.
Entry forms can be obtained on the event’s website at www.sommelieroftheyear.co.uk or from the Academy website at www.afws.co.uk. Alternatively call the Academy on 020 8661 4646. All entries must be accompanied by an employer nomination.
If you would like to attend the Moët UK Sommelier of the Year final at the LIWF please email the Academy’s events manager Sarah Peters at sarah@afws.co.uk.
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For further information, please contact:
Academy of Food and Wine Service
Linda Pettit
T. 01737 823721, M. 07973 789853, Linda@tilburstowmedia.co.uk
EDITOR’S NOTES
About the 2012 Academy of Food and Wine Service UK Sommelier of the Year
The competition is open to professional sommeliers and waiting staff working in the UK. All entries must be supported by an employer nomination. Entrants who achieve a 75% pass mark on an initial written questionnaire go through to the regional finals.
From the regionals, 12 candidates are then chosen to compete in the national finals in the Waterfront Rooms at the London International Wine Fair on 23 May 2012. Attendance is by invitation only.
The winner will be announced the same day and will be awarded with a trophy and an all-expenses paid trip to South America’s leading organic and biodynamic wine producer, Emiliana. The Emiliana Bursary, in association with Boutinot Wines, will be a five-day tour of Chile’s vineyard regions.
www.afws.co.uk and www.sommelieroftheyear.co.uk
About Moët & Chandon
Moët & Chandon has been the champagne of success and glamour since 1743. Renowned for its achievements, firsts and legendary pioneering spirit, Moët & Chandon is the Maison that introduced champagne to the world. Synonymous with the most venerable of traditions and the most modern of pleasures, Moët & Chandon has celebrated life’s most triumphant moments with grandeur and generosity for nearly 270 years.
Moët & Chandon Champagnes
Moët & Chandon shares the magic of champagne with the world, offering a range of unique wines for every occasion, mood and palate. From the iconic Moët Impérial to the Grand Vintage Collection, the extroverted Moët Rosé Impérial to the innovative Moët Ice Impérial, each champagne dazzles and delights with bright fruitiness, a seductive palate and an elegant maturity.