As the ASI Contest Best Sommelier of the World returns to Lisbon for the first time since his 1978 victory, Giuseppe Vaccarini reflects on the profession he helped shape, and the values that must guide its future. For Giuseppe Vaccarini,…
Serge Dubs once imagined a career that would take him far from Alsace. He wanted to travel, discover the world and meet its people. Instead, and without regrets, he spent 50 years at the prestigious L’Auberge de l’Ill in Alsace,…
Denmark’s Toke Fiedler Terkildsen has earned the title of Best Sommelier of the Nordics 2026, leading a podium that also celebrated sommelier talent from Finland and Iceland. Dmitry Frolov, representing Finland, finished second, while Iceland’s Manuel Schembri claimed third place.…
For Philippe Faure-Brac, representing France at the ASI Contest Best Sommelier of the World 1992 in Rio de Janeiro meant carrying a history of excellence. Winning in Rio de Janeiro brought a different challenge. How do you live up…
Andreas Larsson’s journey to the summit of sommellerie began not in a vineyard or wine cellar, but in the kitchen. At 16, the Swedish-born Larsson enrolled in catering school to become a chef, subsequently spending seven years working professionally in…
Kenya has reached a milestone in its sommellerie journey, with Soraiya Ladak winning the country’s inaugural Best Sommelier Contest and earning the opportunity to become its first representative at the ASI Best Sommelier of the World contest. Organised by the…
In our first instalment of ASI Magazine’s Road to Lisbon series, 2023 ASI Best Sommelier of the World Raimonds Tomsons looks back at the mindset, discipline and humanity behind his title-winning performance in Paris and explains why it is important…
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in ASI Magazine, Issue No. 1. It is republished here as part of our ongoing effort to preserve and celebrate some of the magazine’s most enduring stories. Please note that the positions, affiliations,…
Emma Denney, Director of Wine at Claridge’s, was crowned UK Sommelier of the Year 2026. Denney emerged victorious after one of the country’s most demanding competitions. Following two days of theory examinations, blind tastings and practical service assessments, Denney eventually…
This conversation with Alejandra Ried & Paz Levinson was originally published in ASI MAG Issue #1, February 2022. Editor’s Note: Following the ASI Best Sommelier of the Americas held in Santiago, Chile in 2022, we were inspired to create…
Last month more than 200 sommeliers, producers, educators and wine professionals gathered in San Miguel de Allende as the Asociación de Sommeliers Mexicanos (ASM) celebrated International Sommelier Day 2026 with a full programme dedicated to learning, competition and the recognition…
In my glass today are wines that even just fifteen years ago I might have dismissed without trying or certainly sipped with a hint of hesitation and mistrust. I came up of age in a wine world defined by certainty. The benchmarks were clear and widely agreed upon. A South Australia Shiraz prized…
