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\u201cSometimes you expect too much. There is the pressure, the nerves and everything else. There are probably one, two or three wild cards we haven\u2019t seen before who will reach the top. There will also be expected favourites who won\u2019t be where we expect them to be. That always happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Larsson, preparation extends far beyond memorising appellations, identifying beverages or perfecting service technique. What happens away from the competition can be equally decisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is mainly about preparation which includes your physical and mental preparation. If you have too much stress in your life at that moment, it is not good. I\u2019ve seen candidates whom I know could perform much better, but because of changing work, family issues and so forth, they didn\u2019t perform well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ASI Best Sommelier of the World contest has often been described as the Olympics of sommellerie. Like an elite athlete, a candidate must reach peak form at precisely the right moment. Years of preparation can lead to the stage, but on the day, composure, health and circumstance may separate a champion from the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Lisbon approaches, Larsson will once again have one of the best views in the house. From the kitchen to the competition stage, and now to his role guiding the audience through the finale, he has witnessed both the evolution and global expansion of sommellerie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are certainly people with the potential to win,\u201d he says. \u201cBut you never know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That uncertainty is precisely what will make Lisbon so compelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Larsson\u2019s discovery of wine eventually led him onto the competition stage. After being named Best Sommelier of Sweden three consecutive times and Best Sommelier of Scandinavia, he first rose to the podium on the world stage when he became ASI Best Sommelier of Europe in 2004. Three years later, in Rhodes, Greece, he reached the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,66],"tags":[],"coauthors":[41],"class_list":["post-4362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-uncategorized-en"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n