Noel Pusch of Zuma Abu Dhabi was last night crowned 2014 Sake Sommelier of the Year at a tense final held at London’s Westbury Hotel Mayfair.
Runner-up was Jean-Paul Choi of Origami Restaurant, Luxembourg, with Miguel Hernandez of HKK in London in third place.
The competition, run by the Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS) and the Sake Sommelier Association (SSA), saw six semi-finalists competing for three places in the final, held in front of an audience of invited guests and a panel of judges. The finalists took the stage one-by-one to complete a blind tasting, a sake food matching test, and a service task.
Noel receives a certificate and a bottle of premium sake as well as a five-day, fully funded trip to Japan, worth around £5,000. During the trip Noel will visit a number of sake breweries and have the opportunity to take the SSA’s Advanced Sake Sommelier Course.
German-born Noel, 36, began his career in winemaking gaining a Masters degree from the University of Vienna. His long-term interest in sake prompted him to become one of the first certified sake sommeliers in 2009. Noel has worked for the Zuma group since 2013, first at its Dubai restaurant, and this year joining the launch team for Zuma Abu Dhabi, where he is one of three sommeliers.
This year’s competition, sponsored by Gekkeikan, one of the world’s oldest and finest sake producers, saw some strong contenders for the title. Judge Gerard Basset OBE, MS, MW, MBA, previous winner of the World’s Best Sommelier competition and himself a certified sake sommelier commented: “Noel is very passionate about sake and performed consistently well throughout the competition. He has a broad knowledge of his subject and was particularly good in the blind tasting. He’s also very personable – I would like to be served by him.”
Following the announcement all three finalists performed the ceremonial opening of the taru (cask) of sake, along with Masaaki Kasai, senior managing director of Gekkeikan.This 300-year old tradition (known as a ‘kagami biraki’) involves breaking the lid of the cask with a wooden mallet after which the sake is poured into cups with a ladle.
The SSA 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.
(Pictured, from left to right: Jean-Paul Choi; Masaaki Kasai of Gekkeikan; winner Noel Pusch; Miguel Hernandez)