THE BOLLINGER EXCEPTIONAL WINE SERVICE AWARD
AGAIN ON THE MENU FOR 2014
Entries now open for the first round of the 2014 competition
Entries for the First Round of The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award 2014 are now open and candidates are urged to enter soon, as entries close on the 31st May 2014.
For more information and to download the Registration Form and Question Paper go to: www.wineserviceaward.co.za…
The high standards attained by previous winners, Kayetan Meissner in 2013 (Sommelier at the Grande Roche), Wayve Kolevsohn in 2012 (Sommelier at The Roundhouse at the time and currently Sommelier at The Test Kitchen) and Joakim Hansi Blackadder in 2011 (Sommelier at The Roundhouse at the time and now at Rust en Vrede), have set the benchmark for aspirant sommeliers. As with the previous competitions, the winner of the 2014 competition will be announced in October 2014 and awarded the Riedel Glass Trophy and a trip to France including a visit to the prestigious House of Champagne Bollinger. 2013 winner, Kayetan Meissner, will be taking up his prize in a couple of weeks and jetting off to Champagne and celebrating with a glass or two of Bollinger Champagne.
This annual competition, which is aimed at enhancing and recognising the calibre of local sommeliers and wine service staff, was launched in 2011 and proved to be a resounding success. Ginette de Fleuriot, Marketing Manager at Vinimark The Wine Company and organiser of The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award anticipates more entries this year, “We look forward to an increased number of entrants for The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award 2014 and to wider representation from all of South Africa’s premier tourist regions.”
Champagne Bollinger is proud to be the main sponsor of the prestigious The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award. The competition is a joint initiative between Vinimark The Wine Company (importer of Champagne Bollinger and South Africa’s largest independent specialist wine wholesaling company), and The Reciprocal Wine Trading Company, importers and distributors of Riedel Glassware.
Ginette de Fleuriot comments further, “This industry-wide initiative was established to advance the interests of all of the country’s fine wine producers, as well as those who make their living from the sale of wine in hotels, restaurants and wine bars. The sponsors and organisers trust that this competition will continue to act as a catalyst for the hospitality industry to expand training facilities and support local sommeliers and sommeliers-in-training, in the interests of all those who enjoy dining out.”
Neil Grant, Chairperson of the South African Sommelier Association (SASA), states: “Wine service has a poor history in South Africa and only with incentives such as these will we find an improvement within the industry. Chefs in South Africa over the past 10 years have proven how good they are and now wine stewards/sommeliers need to be part of this movement so we can challenge the international markets.” SASA has committed tomentoring the winning candidates to further assist in guaranteeing continued professional wine service of an international standard.
The competition entry criteria are:
· Those currently employed in the service of food and wine and with a history of a minimum of three years of such service.
· Contestants are required to have substantial knowledge of the local wine scene and of the professional service of both food and wine.
· An adequate knowledge of international wine appellations and styles of wine is also a prerequisite.
· More importantly, however, the contest examines the ability of those selling wine in the hospitality industry to relate what is produced in South Africa to the expectations of international visitors more familiar with the major wine producing regions of the world.
Competition dateline
· First Round: Registration Forms and the completed Question Paper are to be submitted no later than 31 May 2014.
· Second Round: The Semi-Finals will be held in August 2014 at a venue to be announced.
· Final Round: The Finalists will compete in Cape Town in October 2014 at a venue to be announced.
· Competition winner announcement: The winner of The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award 2014 will be announced at an exclusive Champagne event in October 2014.
Judges
Judges at all rounds of the competition will include internationally trained sommeliers; Cape Wine Masters; and members of the hospitality trade.
To enter The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award
For more information and to download the Registration Form and Question Paper go to: www.wineserviceaward.co.za
Contacts
Ginette de Fleuriot at Vinimark Head Office
Email: [email protected] or Tel: 021 – 886 9165
or
Michael Crossley at Reciprocal Wines & Riedel Glassware
Email: [email protected] or Tel: 011 – 482 9178
May 2014
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
2013 Judges:
Ginette de Fleuriot: Organiser of The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award, a Cape Wine Master and Marketing Manager at Vinimark The Wine Company.
Neil Grant: Past Chairman of the South African Sommelier Association (SASA) and Sommelier and co-owner of Burrata Restaurant in the Old Biscuit Mill, Woodstock, Cape Town.
Higgo Jacobs: Sommelier and Consultant and a Senior Judge at the International Wine Challenge (IWC). Higgo also tastes for various local competitions and publications and is General Secretary and a founding member of the South African Sommelier Association (SASA).
Kent Scheermeyer: German-trained Sommelier and founder of KSconsult which services the hospitality industry in wine procurement, wine list design and training.
The 2014 finalists will be judged on wine and food service and will be tested on the following:
• wine styles and terminology
• wine label information
• wine regulations
• regions of origin
• major international wine regions and their wines
• identifying wines in a blind tasting
• service techniques
• food and wine pairing
• wine storage
• social skills and ability to interact with the patron
Background on The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award
One of the impediments to publicising the achievements of South African wine has been the absence of a class of wine waiters able to communicate the finer points of our wines and place them in an international context.
The past few years have seen important changes which have come some of the way in addressing this gap. These include the involvement of the Cape Wine Academy in creating a qualification for wine service professionals, and the investments in waiter training driven by WOSA (Wines of South Africa) under the Fundi programme ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2010. The increasing number of internationally trained sommeliers living and working in South Africa is also no doubt contributing to a raised level of awareness around issues of wine service.
An annual competition – aimed at encouraging those who seek to make a living from wine service – is clearly part of the next stage. Sponsored by Champagne Bollinger and with infrastructural support from Riedel Glassware, The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award has been established to bring focus – and recognition of achievement – to the growing group of professional wine waiters in South Africa.
The recently formed South African Sommelier Association (SASA) is fully behind The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award and some of its members will be judges at the competition. The association aims to provide training and mentorship to guarantee the continuous development of professional standards of wine service at the highest level.
ENDS
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