Semifinalists announced for ASI competition

The names of the twenty semifinalists for the ASI Best Sommelier of the World competition were revealed last night by Olivier Poussier, Best Sommelier of the World in 2000, and Shinya Tasaki, former president of the International Sommelier Association, co-directors of the Technical Committee. For the first time this year, five women are part of the selection, marking a significant step toward gender parity in the wine service profession.

Exams test practical and theoretical skills

The semifinal exams of the ASI Best Sommelier of the World took place over two intense days, including written tests and practical workshops. One of the exams involved a presentation and sale of a warm riesling, where candidates had three minutes to react and present the wine in an acceptable manner. Marc Almert, ASI Best Sommelier of the World in 2019 and member of the technical committee, noted that "It's like the Olympics, you may be working in a three-star Michelin restaurant and be extremely prepared, but in a situation, the sommelier can doubt and lose their bearings."

Training efforts aim for equal opportunity

The preparation of the candidates has evolved significantly this year. William Wouters, President of the International Sommelier Association, stated that there was a real intention to give all candidate sommeliers access to the same level of theoretical knowledge. To achieve this, completely free digital training was developed so that sommeliers from countries where the culture is less rooted in these practices could have the same chance to compete, along with boot camps around the world. A real international community of sommeliers was created during this training year. Marc Almert recalled that "There is no downtime in the competition preparation. I remember, during my training, I opened two hundred bottles per week for a year."

Pascaline Lepeltier aims for history

There will be twenty semifinalists this morning at 8:45 a.m. for the briefing in front of the examination hall, including five women, a first. Pascaline Lepeltier, competing under the colors of France, is part of the selection. Her smile last night was equal to the journey she has made since the Parisian exams in 2022. She may be the first female sommelier to win this prestigious and demanding competition.