Wines of South Africa (WOSA) is inviting entries from wine sommeliers and serving staff in restaurants and hotels in nine countries which are our wine industry growth markets, for its 2016 Sommelier Cup.

Participating countries in the WOSA Sommelier Cup 2016 are the USA, Canada, Asia, Germany, Sweden, UK, the Netherlands, Kenya, and Ghana. Finalists will visit Cape Town and the Winelands for a week in September, after making it through pre-Final competition stages.

The Sommelier Cup competition is held every three years, and we attended the previous Finals at Grande Roche, a most informative and entertaining day! The competition plays an important role in identifying and educating wine consumer influencers in our country’s major target countries, not just teaching them about our wine industry, but also bringing them here to experience our wine region and its wines first hand. In this way it is hoped that they become ambassadors for our country’s wine industry.

Judges for the WOSA Sommelier Cup include:

#. Master Sommelier James Tidwell, who serves on the board of directors for the Court of Master Sommeliers – Americas and is the co-founder of TEXSOM, the annual Texas Sommelier Conference, as well as publisher of the magazine Sommelier.

#.  Totte Steneby, one of Sweden’s most highly qualified sommeliers and a former winner of Best Sommelier of Sweden and Best Sommelier of the Nordic Countries. He also judges for Decanter World Wine Awards, and works with celebrity sommelier Rajat Parr.

#.  Canadian Will Predhomme, 2013 winner of the WOSA Sommelier Cup. He is a former Sommelier du Monde in Japan, and is now making wine in Canada and in the USA.

#.  Three members of the South African Sommelier Association.

WOSA CEO Siobhan Thompson said: ‘Now that the country’s reputation for trailblazing, unusual and individualist winemaking has captured the wider public imagination, South Africa has become a ‘hot’ category and interest in competing in the 2016 Sommelier Cup is at an unprecedented high.  Part of the attraction is undoubtedly the opportunity to spend time with a selection of the winemakers who are shaping this reputation.  They’re remarkably passionate, visionary but down-to-earth people who have found a voice that is unique and refreshing‘.

WOSA Sommelier Cup 2016,  www.wosasommeliercup.co.za

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog  Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@WhaleCottage  Facebook:  click here