Zareh Mesrobyan wins Ruinart Sommelier Challenge

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 09 June, 2026

Estelle Manor’s head of wine Zareh Mesrobyan won the 2026 UK Ruinart Sommelier Challenge yesterday (8 June), following a hard-fought contest at London’s Dorchester hotel.

Second place went to Joanna Nerantzi, head sommelier at Raffles London at the Owo, with third being awarded to Grace Shih, head of wine at Restaurant St. Barts.

Now in its ninth iteration, the Challenge swung its focus onto rosé wines and champagne this year, led by Ruinart chef de caves Caroline Fiot, with last year’s winner Emma Denney, head of wine at Claridges, and Decanter’s France editor, Natalie Earl, also judging.

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Some 29 sommeliers from across top UK restaurants were put through their paces, drawn from a long list of 60. All were tasked with blind tasting four wines, with marks awarded for descriptions of how each wine was made, possible food pairings, and a bonus if the origin of the wine was correctly identified.

Harpers joined the session, experiencing first-hand the challenge of writing detailed evaluations of each wine set against a clock countdown, allowing 40 minutes to complete the task.

The competition element was then followed by a far-reaching and engaging masterclass on rosé champagnes, with Fiot covering much from the historical development of the style to current differing winemaking techniques, including maceration and blending.

Mesrobyan, who is originally from Bulgaria and has established himself as a leading sommelier in the UK and IWSC judge, will now visit Ruinart in Champagne next year. He will be joined by fellow winners from the other seven countries in which Ruinart runs its Sommelier Challenge for a further deep dive into the wines of this historical producer.

“Having been runner up in 2024, I’m delighted to have won the competition this year. I’m very much looking forward to visiting Ruinart next year in Champagne,” said Mesrobyan.

Fiot added: “I was genuinely impressed by the calibre of contestants taking part. They worked really hard, and their passion and dedication was evident throughout the whole day.

“It was not an easy decision to choose a winner, but we are thrilled to welcome Zareh to the Ruinart Sommelier Challenge international community this year and look forward to hosting him in Reims.”

The blind competition wines were later revealed to be: Nyetimber Rosé NV (Sussex & Hampshire); Eric Rodez Macération Rosé Edition 37 NV (Champagne); Gusbourne Rosé 2025 (Kent); and Domaine Tampier Rosé 2025 (Bandol).

Following the competition element, Ruinart Rosé NV and Dom Ruinart Rosé 2009 were then poured to accompany the masterclass.

Pictured: Zareh Mesrobyan with (L-R) Natalie Earl, Emma Denney and Caroline Fiot.

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