UK's top sommelier revealed

This year's UK Sommelier of the Year has been named as 27-year-old Laura Rhys from Gerard Basset's Hotel TerraVina in Southampton.

Fifteen of the UK's top sommeliers took part in the semi-finals organised by the Academy of Food and Wine and held in the Tate Modern - only three hopefuls made it into the final.

"I was really happy to make it into the final three," said Rhys " I didn't expect to win, I'm just pleased all the hard work and preperation over the last few months has paid off.

Rhys who has entered the competition four times added: "There wasn't anyone that had been in the finals before, the competition was much more of an open drawer than normal."

Rhys and the other two finalists, Johann Jousselin from Hotel du Vin & Bistro, Winchester, and Christopher Delalonde from The Square, London, had to compete in a series of tasks which were overseen by a high-profile panel of judges headed by master sommelier Matt Wilkin and included last year's Sommelier of the Year Gearoid Devaney and food and drink writer Tom Parker-Bowles, the three assessed the 15 semi-finalists on numerous technical skills including a blind tasting and written exam.

The grand finale saw the three sommeliers having to pour a single magnum of Champagne Piper Heidsieck Cuvée Brut into 16 Champagne glasses, filling each equally without returning to any of them.

Rhys who was given a standing ovation collected her prize of two nights at the three Michelin-starred Château Les Crayères, Reims, and a guided vineyard tour of Champagnes Piper-Heidsieck & Charles Heidsieck, sponsors of the event.

Christian Holthausen, international house communications director, Champagnes Piper-Heidsieck & Charles Heidsieck said: "The standard of this year's competition was unbelievable.

"To have the UK's top 15 sommeliers demonstrating such high levels of expertise under such nerve-racking conditions was thrilling."

• Sommeliers