Over the last two weeks, sommeliers from Australia and Asia Pacific have been hard at work sitting their examinations for the Introductory, Certified and Advanced, Court of Master Sommeliers certifications.

Held only once a year in each of the countries involved in the programme, this year’s participation in Australia was the largest yet, with representation from New South Wales, Queensland, New Zealand, Macau and Shanghai, as more and more sommeliers recognise the benefits of better education for hospitality in the region.

Established in 1977, the Court of Master Sommeliers is the most esteemed vocational body for the industry, and growing interest from sommeliers in Australia and Asia Pacific led to the decision this year to expand the body into Asia for the first time, as well as host the next level of the programme, the Advanced Sommelier Certification, in Australia.

Talking of the benefits of the programme for sommeliers, one of only two Master Sommeliers in Australia and a moderator on this year’s course, Sebastian Crowther from Rockpool said each certificate not only gives the candidates more confidence, but also the necessary skills to move up the chain in their careers, seeing the level of service provided by sommeliers in Australia improving significantly across the board.

There are only 229 Master Sommeliers in the world, recognised as the best in their field having completed each of the Introductory, Certified and Advanced examinations, as well as the hardest course a sommelier can undertake, the Master Sommelier Diploma.

It was therefore an honour for this year’s candidates to receive feedback from and be awarded by six Master Sommeliers from Australia, New Zealand, the US and UK.

Alongside Mr. Crowther, the adjudicators of this year’s programme also included Merivale’s Group Sommelier and the second and only other Master Sommelier in Australia, Franck Moreau; CEO and COO of the Court of Master Sommeliers in the UK, Brian Julyan and Ronan Sayburn respectively; New Zealand’s only Master Sommelier, Cameron Douglas; US Master Sommelier, Matt Stamp; and Head Sommelier at the Fat Duck, Isa Bal.

The Advanced Sommelier Certificate is completed over the duration of five days and must be completed by those sommeliers if they also wish to undertake the Master Sommelier Diploma. To graduate, candidates must achieve 60 per cent or higher in a theory paper, tasting and practical service test. As a result, only a select handful of candidates successfully pass the course each year.



Held over three days, the Introductory Sommelier Certificate tests candidate’s knowledge of grape varieties, origins, as well as vineyard and winemaking methods used in major wine producing regions around the world. Introductory candidates are also expected to display basic tasting and food and wine pairing skills, as well as technical skill in service. Building on the Introductory course, students of the Certified Sommelier Examination go on to complete a short written theory paper, as well as a blind of two wines and a practical service test. Like the advanced certification, students of the Certified Examination must also achieve 60 per cent or above in each section.



Unlike any other programme, the Court of Master Sommeliers not only examines candidates during the course, but also provides feedback and results on the same day.

This year, successful students of the Introductory and Certified courses were announced on Friday, July 9, while the Advanced certificates and badges were presented to graduates on the following Thursday, July 16.

Candidates successful of the Certified certificate were: Leanne Altmann, Aleksandrs Balodis, Nicholas Barlow, Thomas Beattie, James Boden, Chalat Bottorff, Lisa Cardelli, Mattia Antonio Cianca, Manuel Conti, Tony Donnini, Szymon Forszpaniak, Elina Hannuksela, Jared Hill, Eva Jane Hudson, Geoffrey Hunt, Takaaki Kosaka, Mark Law, Thomas Lyons, Alice Massaria, Louella Mathews, Patrick Douglas McConnell, Mario Mori, Raphaël Mulligan, Fabio Pallottini, Timothy Perlstone, Kyle Poole, Piotr Szewczuk, Phillip John Hari Waller, Jonathon Ward, Jonathan Lyons, Keira LeFranc, Seamus Martin Brandt, Thomas Brushfield and Daniel Marcella.

Followed by six proud candidates of the Advanced Sommelier Certificate: Bengt Baumgartner from The European/Melbourne Supper Club; Benjamin Hasko from Bootleggers; Yew Kong Han from TBC in Maccau; Filippo L’Episcopo from Park Hyatt Sydney; Richard Healy from Rockpool Bar & Grill; and Emmanuel Cadieu from est. Restaurant (Merivale).



Named in a special, separate announcement, it was Timothy Perlstone and Emmanuel Cadieu who received the highest marks in their class.

Commenting on their achievements, Timothy said: “At first I thought I hadn’t passed, but then at the last minute they called my name!

“The course has been a great experience; I’ve met a lot of new people and had a lot of fun.”

While Emmanuel said: “For me, it’s an amazing achievement, this has involved many hours of work, so I am now so happy to have passed.”

CEO, Brian Julyan said all of the Master Sommeliers had been incredibly impressed with the calibre of this year’s students, particularly with the skill they demonstrated in the practical service test. Julyan also said that they were impressed with students’ commitment to the course and hopes that the Advanced Certificate will continue to run each year in Australia.