The Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur Association launched a new sommelier competition in the US this year, aimed at on-trade professionals and students. With an award ceremony slated for August 6, 2019, the contest will name 2 new ambassadors for their wines.
San Francisco, June 27th, 2019 – After a successful event in Belgium, Japan and China, it’s a first in the US: the Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur Association launches its own Sommelier of the Year, masterclass and competition. Organized with the support of the San Francisco Wine School, SommFoundation, Wine Scholar Guild and Business France, the first edition will name 2 winners.
The association’s goal is to let professionals discover the other Bordeaux, far from antiquated luxury clichés, by highlighting the region’s many small producers, family-owned wineries, and the new generation of winemakers. By shedding light on affordable yet delightful wines, the Association also wants to help the public step away from the idea that Bordeaux wines are complicated and expensive.
As for the candidates, the Association wants them to be able to better understand the Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur winegrowing region and its diversity, for a better knowledge of their wines and better visibility for the 7 appellations in a short to medium term.
The event will take place at the San Francisco Wine School on August 5th & 6th, 2019, and will see the candidates compete over 4 different tests. After a first day of presentation and masterclass, the candidates will take a theory exam that will determine the 10 finalists. On the morning of the second day, the finalists will compete against each other in a series of tasting and service exams that will allow the jury to select 2 winners and one runner-up.
Who are the jury members?
- David Glancy, MS – Master Sommelier, Director of the San Francisco Wine School
- Jean Reilly, MW – Master of Wine, Tutor of the Bordeaux Wine School
- David Yoshida, MS – Master Sommelier
- Marion Geromin, Bordeaux Winemaker – Château L’Oiseau, AOC Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur
The press will be invited to the award ceremony at the wine school on August 6th, when the head of the jury, David Glancy MS, will announce the winners and runner ups. The 2 winners will be offered a 5-day Discovery Trip of Bordeaux’s Winegrowing region that will allow them to visit vineyards and the Cité du Vin wine museum. The runner-up will win a Bordeaux Master-Level certification program with Wine Scholar Guild.
“San Francisco Wine School is very excited to collaborate on the US launch of the Bordeaux Sup’s Sommeliers of the Year competition, said David Glancy, MS. There are so many exciting wines at all price points and the diversity is often underestimated. Training members of the wine trade on all that Bordeaux has to offer is instrumental to getting the word to consumers. The masterclass will be eye opening and the competition that follows is a tremendous opportunity for wine professionals and students to show their knowledge and skills. It will be very worthwhile for all who compete, especially the top two competitors who win a 5-day trip to Bordeaux”
Trade, Students, and certified sommeliers are invited to register for the masterclass & competition online.
About Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur
The Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur association promotes in France and on its main exporting markets wines from 7 Bordeaux AOC (Protected Designations of Origin) : AOC Bordeaux blanc, Bordeaux Supérieur blanc, Bordeaux rosé, Bordeaux clairet, Bordeaux rouge, Bordeaux Supérieur rouge and Crémant de Bordeaux. It represents an area of 58 637 hectares (55% of the Bordeaux vineyard) and a production of around 2.8 million hectoliters and 384 million bottles (12 bottles sold every second worldwide). As a strong, dynamic and professional organization our role is to secure the future of these AOC, to guarantee their quality and authenticity, to communicate and promote its 4 890 members including winegrowers, trading houses and cooperative wineries.
