The Court of Master Sommeliers Oceania has announced the results of its Introductory and Certified examinations held in Sydney last week, with Felix Auzou (Dear Saint Eloise) awarded the title of The 2019 Riedel Sydney Certified Sommelier Dux.
Altogether, 52 students received certification; 37 students achieved The Introductory Sommelier Certificate and 15 students achieved The Certified Sommelier.
The Court of Master Sommeliers was established in 1977 to promote excellence in hotel and restaurant beverage services. The intensive education and examination programme guides aspiring Master Sommeliers through four increasingly rigorous levels of coursework and examinations, culminating in the highly prestigious Master Sommelier Diploma Examination.
“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,” says Franck Moreau, co-ordinator of the Court of Master Sommeliers 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.”
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 and 37 Advanced Level Sommeliers. Only six have attained the title of Master Sommelier: 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 title of Master Sommelier.
“We’ve been impressed by the hard work and dedication shown by this year’s Introductory and Certified graduates,” says Hasko. “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.”
