The Court of Master Sommeliers Oceania has announced the results of its Introductory, Certified and Advanced examinations held in Melbourne this week.
Ashlyn Foster from Quay was awarded the 2019 RIEDEL Advanced Sommelier Dux and 2019 Airoldi Fine Wines Prize and Angus Begg from The Recreation was awarded The 2019 RIEDEL Melbourne Certified Sommelier Dux.
A total of 40 students achieved The Introductory Sommelier Certificate, while 25 students achieved The Certified Sommelier qualification and 12 students achieved The Advanced Sommelier Certificate.
“This year students participated in our Melbourne programme from seven States and Territories across Australia,” says Franck Moreau MS co-ordinator, Court of Master Sommeliers Oceania. “It’s fantastic to see demand for professional certification for Sommeliers extending outside of the traditional hotspots of Melbourne and Sydney to be embraced Australia-wide. This year we’ve held Introductory workshops throughout Australia in locations including Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth. This has resulted in the growth in enrolments in these locations which is fantastic to see.”
Foster recieved the 2019 Airoldi Fine Wines Scholarship after achieving the highest score at the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Advanced Sommelier Certificate examinations. She will now embark on a trip to France and Austria, with the opportunity to attend “En Primeur” week in Bordeaux, France in April 2020 courtesy of Airoldi Fine Wines. Foster will also head to Kufstein, Austria to visit the RIEDEL glassware factory courtesy of RIEDEL Australia
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: 723 Introductory Sommelier graduates, 325 Certified Sommelier graduates, 49 Advanced Level Sommeliers and seven Master Sommeliers.
