An interview with Tiago Paula, Carlos Medeiros and Constança Duarte
There is a certain feeling that takes hold whenever the ASI community begins to look ahead to the ASI Contest Best Sommelier of the World. Anticipation builds, as the hopes and dreams of sommeliers across the globe prepare for the ultimate challenge of their knowledge and skills.
In 2023, Paris hosted an ASI Contest Best Sommelier of the World contest that showcased the opulence and grandeur that only France could deliver. Looking ahead to Lisbon in 2026, the energy feels a little different. The event will be less grand but an authentic representation of Portugal, as it stands to be more personal, more evocative, and true to itself.
Portugal has always been a country with a wine culture deeper than headlines tend to acknowledge. A place where history breathes through schist and clay, where family legacies are measured in decades and centuries rather than vintages. A place where winemaking and vineyard cultivation are a family story as much as it is a story of place. It is a place where hospitality isn’t reliant on formality but on instinctiveness. Now, as Portugal prepares to welcome the world’s best sommeliers, it is ready to show that its quiet confidence has grown into something larger. Portugal has carved out its place in the wine world, and it’s a place built on authenticity.
There is no better place to host the contest than Lisbon. A place where there is even a statue honouring a sommelier, Fernando Ferramentas, a founding figure of the sommelier profession in Portugal. To understand what this moment means, we spoke with three of the people who have been shaping Lisbon 2026 from its earliest ideas. Tiago Paula, President of the Associação dos Escanções de Portugal (AEP), speaks with the sort of grounded pride one hears in people who have witnessed and contributed to a community’s evolution firsthand. Alongside him are Carlos Medeiros and Constança Duarte of Event Concept, whose role is to transform vision into reality, ensuring that the competition reflects both ASI’s standards and the soul of its host country.
For Tiago, the significance of 2026 is impossible to overstate. Hosting the ASI Contest Best Sommelier of the World is, in his words, “a historic milestone for Portugal and for the sommelier profession within the country.” He sees the contest not just as an honour but as the culmination of decades of work to bring Portuguese sommellerie to a place of professionalism, seriousness, and international readiness. What resonates most in our conversation is his sense that Portugal is not simply “hosting” the world; it is stepping into a new phase of its own identity.
He describes Lisbon 2026 as validation of everything that has been built, from educational pathways and restaurant culture to a rising generation of sommeliers who can stand shoulder to shoulder with peers from any nation. But rather than a declaration of arrival, he sees it as a moment of sharing. “A chance to show who Portuguese sommeliers are, how they think, and how they interpret wine through their unique mixture of European precision and the warmth of Portuguese hospitality.” “Identity is a theme he returns to often. Portuguese sommellerie,” he says, “is not just technically strong, it carries a sensitivity shaped by territory, tradition, and a deep understanding of how wine and
hospitality intertwine.” This he hopes will be evident throughout the competition. While the technical level must remain uncompromising, Tiago believes that what truly sets Portugal apart is its ability to welcome with sincerity, to communicate emotion without sacrificing rigour, and to approach wine as both a craft and a cultural expression.
Naturally, the wines of Portugal will play a central role. The plan is not to overwhelm visitors with a parade of flashy moments but to present Portugal’s diversity honestly and intelligently. There will be opportunities to taste the full spectrum of the country’s offerings, from fortified wines with centuries of prestige to emerging terroir-driven expressions that are reshaping the conversation about Portuguese wine. Tiago wants global sommeliers to leave with a deeper sense not only of quality but of authenticity, and of the cultural depth that anchors both the wines and the cuisine.
That leads, inevitably, to the question of legacy. Tiago speaks with clarity here: he wants the contest to serve as a catalyst for young sommeliers, to strengthen the AEP institutionally, and to expand Portugal’s international networks in a lasting way. As he says “the impact should stretch far beyond the competition week. It should elevate professional standards, open new horizons for aspiring sommeliers, and position Portuguese wine more firmly within the global dialogue.” Ultimately, he hopes that everyone who joins the event in 2026 leaves with an enduring memory of Portugal’s generosity and cultural richness, an impression strong enough to draw them back in the years to come.
If Tiago provides the heart, Event Concept provides the architecture. Carlos Medeiros and Constança Duarte speak about Lisbon 2026 not simply as a logistical challenge but as a narrative project. Lisbon, they feel, should not be a backdrop but an active part of the story. Its hills, waterfronts, tiled facades, light, and rhythms should be felt throughout the competition week. From the movement of competitors through the city to the atmosphere created in the venues, the intent is to create an experience that feels unmistakably Portuguese.
The choice of venues reflects this philosophy. The Lisbon Coliseum, an iconic performance hall layered with cultural memory, will host the finale. It offers presence, scale, and a stage capable of holding the intensity and drama of the world’s most prestigious sommelier contest. The Carlos Lopes Pavilion, meanwhile, represents another side of Lisbon: modern yet rooted, elegant yet accessible, shaped by its surroundings. These choices are deliberate. Each venue contributes a different note, helping the week unfold like a story with both continuity and surprise.
Even the event’s visual identity draws from Lisbon’s most recognisable symbol, the Belém Tower, providing a subtle but constant connection to the city’s history of exploration and its relationship with the wider world. It is a fitting metaphor for a profession that, in many ways, serves as a cartographer of taste, mapping terroir, culture, and craftsmanship for guests through every bottle opened.
Of course, producing a live finale of this scale is no small feat. Carlos describes the fundamental challenge as “harmonising precision with unpredictability.” Anyone who has witnessed an ASI Contest Best Sommelier of the World finale understands the choreography of timing which blends technical requirements with theatrical pacing, and the ability to adapt in real time. For Event Concept, the goal is to create an environment where competitors feel entirely supported, the audience feels fully engaged, and the tension intrinsic to a world championship is expressed without overshadowing the elegance of the event.
When I ask what success will look like for them, both Carlos and Constança speak in similar terms. They want an event that feels seamless, natural, and emotionally resonant. One in which Portugal’s identity emerges clearly but never overwhelms the universality of the competition. Their hope is that everyone, which includes competitors, jury members, partners, and guests leave feeling that they have been part of something both deeply professional and deeply human.
Collaboration between AEP, Event Concept and ASI has been central, and all three sides emphasise how aligned they have been from the beginning. The shared aim has always been to respect the traditions that define ASI while bringing the contest forward with innovation and Portuguese character. Any refinements along the way were driven by a desire to ensure that operational excellence and cultural storytelling moved in tandem.
Yet there is one aspiration that ties all their viewpoints together. They all hope that Lisbon 2026 will set a benchmark not only for competitive standards but for how the sommelier profession is understood by the world. They want the public to see sommeliers not only as technicians of blind tasting or guardians of service standards but as cultural interpreters, connecting producers and guests through context, emotion, and knowledge. If the contest inspires admiration for the craft and encourages new talent to pursue the profession, they feel they will have achieved something meaningful.
As I reflect on these conversations, I am struck by how aligned they are with the current global moment in sommellerie. Around the world, we are seeing a generation that is technically sharper than ever yet also more attuned to storytelling, cultural identity, and authenticity. Lisbon 2026 arrives at precisely the right time for a country eager to share its voice and for a profession increasingly aware of the influence it can have.
The road to Portugal is still ahead, but the foundation has already been laid with care and conviction. What awaits in Lisbon is more than a competition. It is an invitation and an opportunity to understand Portugal more deeply and to celebrate the craft of sommeliers at the highest level. The energy is already building, and as the countdown continues, the world of wine can look forward to a contest shaped by excellence, by emotion, and by a sense of place that could only come from Portugal.
Lisbon is ready. And the world is ready to meet it. The ASI Contest Best Sommelier of the World 2026 will take place October 11 to 17 2026.
