The Court of Master Sommeliers Australia has revealed the results of its Introductory and Certified Examinations held in Sydney last week.
This year’s exams saw 37 students achieve the title of Introductory Sommelier and 15 students were named as Certified Sommelier. In addition, the 2018 Sydney Riedel Certified Sommelier Dux was awarded to Felix Auzou of Dear Saint Eloise.
Franck Moreau MS revealed that this year’s program hosted students from states and territories throughout Australia, as well as from another 10 countries from around the world.
“Students attended this year’s Sydney Introductory/Certified programme from ten countries around the world including Singapore, China, The UK, Europe and USA; as well as five States throughout Australia. Certification from The Court of Master Sommeliers is globally recognised and Australia is seen as a centre of excellence for Sommeliers and hospitality professionals worldwide,” Moreau said.
Fellow MS, Ben Hasko, said he was impressed with this year’s students and happy to see many electing to keep working in the region.
“We’ve been impressed by the hard work and dedication shown by this year’s Introductory and Certified graduates,” he said.
“Although our programmes are offered worldwide, many students are electing to undertake their formal certification within Australia and remain within the Oceania region to further their careers. This development and retention of top Sommelier talent has been a significant cultural shift in recent years; and we’re seeing a number of senior sommeliers moving to the Oceania region to further their hospitality careers.”
The first Court of Master Sommelier courses were held in Australia in 2008. Since then in Australia over 1000 students have participated in the examinations resulting in: 683 Introductory Sommelier graduates, 300 Certified Sommelier graduates, 37 Advanced Level Sommeliers.
Dorian Guillon MS added: “Having achieved my Master Sommelier diploma in October 2018, I’ve seen first-hand the dedication and commitment which is required to complete the four levels of certification from The Court of Master Sommeliers.
“There’s been a broad industry approach to how the students are preparing for the examinations: they are supported by their workplace, are networking closely with other Sommeliers via social media and are keen to connect with other Sommeliers to develop a strong sense of community outside of the examination process. There is a far greater level of connectedness and support between sommeliers completing the programme which is fantastic.”
Just six people have attained the title of Master Sommelier through the Australian-held courses: Franck Moreau MS (merivale), Sebastian Crowther MS (Real Wines/Wine Theory), Benjamin Hasko MS (Luxury Beverage Group), Adrian Filiuta (merivale), Jonathan Ross (Rockpool Dining Group) and Dorian Guillon (Vue de Monde). Worldwide there are currently just 256 Sommeliers who have gained the highly-coveted title of Master Sommelier.