Entries are now being sought for this year’s Moët UK Sommelier of the Year 2014, as the Academy of Food & Wine Service launches the 35th year of the competition.
Wine waiters and sommeliers from all sectors of the industry are encouraged to enter the competition which gives participants the opportunity to broaden their experience, improve their wine and beverage service education, and network with those at the top of the profession.
“Entering this competition is more about the experience and learning opportunity than it is about getting through to the final,” commented AFWS executive director John Croft. “Many of our competitors come back year after year, getting a little further each time. Without fail, they all say it is an enjoyable experience as well as a valuable part of their professional development and training.”
This is the third year that Moët & Chandon has sponsored the competition, and the first time the Champagne House will take all 12 semi-finalists to its cellars in Epernay for an in-depth tour and tasting of past vintages with Chef de Cave Benoît Gouez.
Marketing Director Elsa Corbineau commented: “Education and networking are key to the competition, and also something that we value very highly at Moët & Chandon. We take our role as partner very seriously, and believe that we can enhance the learning and experience that every entrant – no matter how far they get – takes away with them.”
Anyone interested in entering are asked to complete an initial entry form after which they will be sent a first round questionnaire. Those scoring the highest on the questionnaire will be invited to one of five regional finals, being held in Bristol, Edinburgh, Stafford, Tunbridge Wells and London on 6 May 2014.
From the regional finals, 12 people will be selected for the London semi-final on 12 June. Following a morning of tasks, the semi-finalists will eventually be whittled down to just three sommeliers who will contest the title. The final will be held the same day in front of an invited audience of industry guests with the name of the winner and runner-up announced at a Champagne reception afterwards.
Competitors will be tested on their wine and drink expertise, service skills and glassware knowledge in tasks that include a blind tasting, spotting errors on a wine list, a restaurant role-play scenario, and, in the final, the notorious Champagne pour.
As well as various educational trips for the winner and runner-up, all six finalists will be given a 12-month complimentary membership of The Wine Guild of the United Kingdom, including an invitation to its annual winter banquet held at Vintners’ Hall in London, the historic home of the UK’s wine trade.
The Academy of Food & Wine Service is affiliated to Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) with the Moët UK Sommelier of the Year competition forming part of the UK selection process for the ASI’s Best Sommelier of the World and Best Sommelier of Europe competitions.
Entry forms can be downloaded from www.sommelieroftheyear.co.uk or by calling Daniel Moriss-Jeffery on 01276 417 882 or emailing Daniel@afws.co.uk.
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For further information, please contact:
Academy of Food & Wine Service
Linda Pettit
T. 01342 832866, M. 07973 789853
Linda@tilburstowmedia.co.uk
Möet & Chandon
Emma Wellings, Emma Wellings PR
T. 020 8747 9592, M. 07802 224144
emma@ew-pr.co.uk
EDITOR’S NOTES
About the Academy
The Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS), established in 1988, is the professional body for food and beverage service. It is dedicated to improving the status and awareness of food and beverage service as a viable career choice, raising standards across the industry and encouraging teamwork with other colleagues. AFWS can offer advice and training to anyone following, or considering, a career as a sommelier, wine waiter, waiter, bar manager or restaurant manager.
www.afws.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 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.