The Sake Sommelier Association (SSA) and Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS) have announced the names of the six Sake Sommeliers who have made it through to the semi-final of this year’s Sake Sommelier of the Year competition, sponsored by Gekkeikan, one of the world’s oldest and finest sake producers. They are:
Jean-Paul Choi, Origami Restaurant, Belvaux, Luxembourg
Deepak Elangovan, Hakkasan Restaurant, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Miguel A. Hernandez, HKK, London, UK
Raku Oda, Yashin Ocean House, London, UK
Noel Pusch, Zuma Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Andrew Rohm, BLT Steak, Trump International Hotel, Hawaii, USA
The Sake Sommeliers will attend the semi-final and final being held at London’s Westbury Hotel on 24 November 2014. Amongst the tasks they will complete in front of a strong judging panel are blind tastings, food matching tests and an error on a sake list. From the six just three Sake Sommeliers will be chosen to compete in the final in front of an audience of invited guests with the name of the winner announced at the end of the afternoon.
This year’s judges include well-known sommelier and hotelier Gerard Basset OBE, MS, MW, MBA, previous winner of the World’s Best Sommelier competition and himself a Certified Sake Sommelier.
The winner of this prestigious competition, the only one of its kind held outside Japan, will win the top prize of a fantastic five-day, fully funded trip to Japan, worth around £5,000.
The trip includes the opportunity to take the SSA’s Advanced Sake Sommelier Course, visiting and working in sake breweries.
The SSA is the first and only organisation that is solely dedicated to promoting Sake education. Candidates passing the Introductory Sake Professional and Certified Sake Sommelier courses will become an SSA Certified Sake Sommelier.