AFWS Sommelier of the Year finalists announced

Published: 15 April, 2011

Sixteen sommeliers have made it through to the Academy of Food and Wine Service (AFWS) UK Sommelier of the Year 2011 finals.

The sommeliers listed below, won the regional heats held in London, Tunbridge Wells, Bristol and Manchester and will now compete in the final being held at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London, on June 1.

Tasks will include a blind tasting, a food and wine matching exercise and wine knowledge quiestionnaire.

The three top finalists will then battle it out in the afternoon in front of a live audience that includes the infamous Champagne pour.

This year's judges includes wine and food writer Nick Lander, Gerard Basset MS, MW, technical director of AFWS and owner of Hotel TerraVina, Hampshire, and Matt Wilkin MS, AFWS director and proprietor of H2Vin.

Academy chairman Nick Scade said: "This year's finalists includes some familiar names but we've also got some exciting new sommeliers coming to the fore such as Adam Pawlowski from Northcote, Arnaud Bardary from Maze and Loic Avril from The Fat Duck.

"With such a high calibre of sommeliers getting through to the final, including three from The Fat Duck, we are likely to see one of the most exciting finals in the competition's 32-year history."

Last year's Champagne Piper-Heidsieck UK Sommelier of the Year was Christopher Delalonde, from London-based wine sourcing service Sarment Wines.

The finalists:

Wiremu Andrews, Hotel du Vin & Bistro, Cheltenham

Loic Avril, The Fat Duck, Bray

Arnaud Bardary, Maze, London W1

Tobias Brauweiler, Ellenborough Park, Cheltenham

Remi Cousin, The Fat Duck, Bray

Sergio Dos Santos, Atlantic Hotel, Jersey

Bavand Foroughi, Claridge's, London W1

Michael Jenni, L'Autre Pied, London W1

Johann Jousselin, The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury

Lukasz Kolodziejczyk, The Fat Duck, Bray