By James Atkinson
Registrations for the first ever Ruinart Sommeliers Challenge are open until February 25.
The upcoming competition first revealed on TheShout last year is open to all ‘working members’ of Sommeliers Australia.
A total of 20 finalists will be chosen to attend the Sommeliers Challenge in Sydney on Monday March 24, which will be hosted by the Ruinart chef de caves, Frédéric Panaïotis (pictured).
The Challenge Day will focus specifically on Chardonnay, the varietal exclusively used in Ruinart's flagship Blanc de Blancs. The finalists will partake in a blind tasting of four wines and technical training by Panaïotis, the industry expert in Chardonnay.
Together the judging panel will choose one sommelier from the group to be the Ruinart Sommeliers Challenge winner, based upon their answers to the blind tasting. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 26th March.
The winner will receive a return business class trip to France where they will join Sommeliers Challenge winners from the US in Champagne to undertake further training with the Ruinart chef de caves.
Panaïotis said: “Ruinart is committed to supporting the global sommelier community through career development and further education. We’re delighted to be working with Sommeliers Australia to launch the Ruinart Sommeliers Challenge in Australia and I’m looking forward to seeing the high level of competition in Sydney on 24th March.”
To register for the Ruinart Sommelier Challenge, please visit the Sommeliers Australia website.