Date extended to find Academy's rising star

26th November 2008, 11:33am

The Academy of Food & Wine has extended the deadline for entries to its 2009 Sommelier of the Year competition to 16 December.

The challenge consists of a paper judging followed by five regional finalists, held in February. Some 15 of the top placed regional finalists will qualify for the semi-finals, being held at London's Tate Modern on 29 April, along with the three top sommeliers then competing in the final on the same day.

In front of an audience of around 200 people, the final will be held on a stage set up like a real restaurant. One at a time each finalist has to cope with customers arriving, leaving and ordering as well as having staff to manage.

All three finalists then complete a quick blind tasting session and the infamous Champagne pour, where a magnum of Champagne has to be completely poured into 16 flutes without returning to any of the glasses.

The panel of judges, which includes Gerard Basset MW, MS, the Academy's technical director and one of the UK's best-known wine experts, will be marking the competitors on their technical knowledge plus the flair and confidence they have with dealing with cutsomers.

Employers are invited to nominate a member of their staff for the competition by downloading an entry form from www.afws.co.uk or by calling the Academy on 020 8661 4646.

Sophie Roberts-Brown, executive director of the Academy of Food & Wine, the body responsible for front-of-house training in the UK, explained how the role of the sommelier has seen a dramatic change over the years. "The days of a customer feeling intimidated by a sommelier are gone. Today's sommelier needs a good sense of humour, fantastic people skills along with excellent product knowledge as well as the technical skills surrounding the presenting and serving of wine. He or she also needs to be able to put the customer at ease and make them feel comfortable. The number of top female sommeliers is also growing."

The Academy has secured a three-year sponsorship deal for the competition with Champagnes Piper-Heidsieck & Charles Heidsieck.

Related Articles:

• 22 Jun 2010 - Academy of Food & Wine reveals finalists for two competitions
• 03 Feb 2010 - Sommelier of the Year 2009 celebrates winning prize
• 14 Dec 2009 - The Academy of Food & Wine extends entry deadline for competition
• 09 Dec 2009 - Academy invites chefs and waiters to enter Future Stars of Gastronomy competition
• 13 Oct 2009 - The search for UK sommelier of the year 2010 begins
• 29 Jul 2009 - Chewton Glen duo crowned 2009 Gastronomy Team of the Year
• 15 Jun 2009 - UK's Young Sommelier of the Year winner announced
• 15 Jun 2009 - UK's Young Sommelier of the Year winner announced
• 30 Apr 2009 - Southampton sommelier wins top accolade
• 24 Feb 2009 - AFW launches new competition

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