For enthusiasts of French wine, a sommelier embodies the art of navigating the world of fine wines, acting as a knowledgeable guide for diners seeking the perfect bottle to complement their culinary experiences. “If you keep thinking about it, echoes will respond to you,” mused Kong Weihe, the victor of the recent Best Sommelier Competition in French Wine Asia. “If you persist, there will always be gains.”
This year, a total of six exceptionally talented sommeliers were selected for the finals of the competition. Emerging as the victor, Kong Weihe, and the accomplished runner-up, Wu Yaoheng, have been designated to represent China at the prestigious Asia Best Sommelier Competition in French Wines, set to take place in Singapore.
Expressing his aspirations, Kong Weihe stated, “I hope one day I can stand on the international stage, communicating and learning from sommeliers from all over the world.”
The growing popularity of wine consumption in China has given rise to the emergence of sommeliers as a recognized profession, with their inclusion in the country’s occupational classification encyclopedia just last year. This event marks China’s inaugural high-standard professional competition in the field and serves as a crucial benchmark for the industry, providing a platform for Chinese contestants to exhibit their exceptional talent and contribute to the development of world-class sommeliers in the country.
The 14th edition of China’s Best Sommelier Competition of French Wine was made possible through the sponsorship of Taste France, a brand under the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and was presented by Hopscotch Sopexa, a leading food and beverage advertising agency, with the valued support of City News Service and Shanghai Daily as its media partners.
Commenting on the caliber of this year’s participants, Loic Brunot, Managing Director for Northeast Asia at Hopscotch Sopexa, which has been organizing the competition for several years, stated, “This year’s competitors possess remarkable strength, excelling in their respective professional platforms, accumulating years of experience in the industry, and demonstrating profound knowledge and understanding of wine.” He also highlighted that, “With the competition’s increasing complexity year by year, the focus is placed on the overall quality of participants and their ability to adapt to the challenges of random service.”
The finals of this year’s competition encompassed six distinct sessions, each dedicated to assessing the contestants’ expertise in pre-dinner wine, sparkling wine, red wine, cheese pairings, wine service, blind tasting, and their acumen in responding to questions related to wine.
