NZ Sommelier of the Year 2024 Awards Dinner at NZSFW
With 14 sommeliers competing including three guest international sommeliers, it was a long and busy day for the contestants, judges, cookery students preparing the canapes and dinner and for our hospitality and professional wine students serving at the dinner.
Congratulations to Joao Marreiros of Negociants NZ who was placed 2nd in the NZ Sommelier of the Year. Joao has completed our WSET Level 3 Wine programme.
Craig Beattie of Hello Beasty who was placed 3rd has completed WSET Level 2 wine with us.
Minnie Tan who was runner-up in the NZ Junior Sommelier of the Year has completed the New Zealand Certificate in Professional Wine Knowledge at NZSFW.
Well done to Seth Howes, who works part time at Josh Emett's Onslow and is currently studying the New Zealand Certificate in Professional Wine Knowledge Level 5.
Hayato Usuda of the Hilton is also in the WSET programme at NZSFW>
Keitaro Kuramitsu who works at The Grove.
Well done to all of the above for putting themselves up for the challenge.
Andrea Martinisi and I designed and prepared the various assessments and members of the NZ Somm committee Cashias Gumbo, Angela Allan, Oliver Hay as well as Cameron Douglas MS and Larissa Muller, Franck Laruelle and helped in assessing and coordinating the event.
So very nice to host sommeliers from Japan, Daiki Suzuki and Takaki Yasuoka and from Australia, Paulo Saccone.
The Blind Wine Tasting Competition was our afternoon activity. Four students from the Level 5 Professional Wine course were present for their event service and were able to jump into a team coming in 3rd place overall. Serenity Temu, Abi Griffin, Helen Evans and Axel Jones. This was a great achievement!
NZ Sommelier of Year
1st Suraj G C of Park Hyatt
2nd Joao Marreiros of Negociants NZ
3rd Craig Beattie of Hello Beasty
NZ Junior Sommelier of Year
1st Andrea Tremaud of The Grove
2nd Min Shyen Tan
Celia Hay
See the photos here
