In a two day event held in Stratford-on-Avon in England, 11 of the world’s best young sommeliers came together to compete for the title of Best Young Sommelier. This is the only international competition dedicated to encouraging the art of sommelerie and the matching of food and wine. To enter each competitor must have won their national competition.

The prestigious judging panel of five Master Sommeliers from the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs came from four nations and included Isa Bal, European Sommelier of the Year and Dimitri Mesnard who had previously run the Hotel du Vin Wine School with Gerard Basset, who himself chairs the UK competition.

The event itself started with a visit to Hook Norton Brewery. In this family owned brewery beer is made in small batches using traditional equipment, allowing a range of 16 different beers to be brewed. After a tour, the competitors were taken through a beer and food matching tutorial presented by 5th Generation owner and Managing Director, James Clarke.

Competitors and judges were treated to a superb Champagne Master Class was conducted by Christian Holthausen of Champagnes Piper-Heisdsieck and Charles Heidsieck. They are the Chaîne’s international partners for this prestigious competition. The first day concluded with a Duck Dinner with matching Champagnes at the 400 year old Kings head in Aston Cantlow.

After a full day of tests on Friday run to the methods used by the Court of Master Sommeliers, the title was scooped by the GB national competition winner, 25 year old Yohann Jousselin from the Hotel du Vin in Winchester. Starting from a background of learning from his uncle in the Loire valley, through hospitality school and then tutelage initially under Gerard Basset in the Hotel du Vin, Jousselin has progressed to now being in the final stages of his Master Sommelier qualification.

Chairman of Judges Bryan Dawes said that the overall standard was high but that there was a clear winner. In last year’s international finals in Vienna Laura Rhys from GB came second and so Philip Evins, our Bailli Delegue, said that he was truly delighted that the winner came from Britain this year and that the win reflected both the many hours of study put in by Yohann and the broad knowledge gained by sommeliers in this country because of the wide range of wines available in both the restaurant trade and to consumers. He congratulated Yohann, and said he was a young man with very much of a future in the hospitality industry.

Second place was taken by Bruno Murciano from Spain, currently working for Bibendum Wines in London and third place by Thomas Sommer of Germany.