The editor warned me: “If Pascaline Lepeltier wins this competition, you write a paper straight away, we reserve a place for you in the next day’s edition. » No need to let an outdated suspense hover: out of the 68 aspirants from all over the world, the French candidate ranked fourth in the competition for the best sommelier in the world 2023. The announcement of this place, at the foot of the podium, sparked a wave of lamentations in the Paris La Défense Arena stadium (Nanterre), where 4,000 spectators were gathered for the event. It was followed by an intense round of applause in the direction of the sommelier, to console her, to thank her and, it must be admitted, to cheer us up.
Pascaline Lepeltier was our hope, our darling, our Lionel Messi to us, the French, wine lovers. The wait was gigantic. Because the last time France won this competition was in 2000 (with Olivier Poussier). Because the last time this competition was held in France was in 1989. Because we all dreamed of it, of its victory, exacerbated chauvinist pride. Because Pascaline Lepeltier is the most intelligent and charismatic sommelier of her generation, because she embodies a new vision of it, because the admiration and tenderness she arouses are unanimous, because we quite simply love her, and this stupid classification will not change anything.
While the final was played, Sunday February 12, between the last three candidates in the running from China, Denmark and Latvia, I received a new message from my boss: “If the Dane wins, you still do an article to publish tomorrow. » Alas, when it does not want, it does not want. Faced with Reeze Choi and Nina Jensen, the Latvian candidate Raimonds Tomsons was crowned. Damned ! still a man. But who deserved his victory, all in mastery, elegance and intellectual vivacity. The 41-year-old sommelier, with a slender figure and contagious smile, is not a partridge of the year. His track record in competition is eloquent: three times crowned best sommelier in Latvia, three times best sommelier in the Baltic countries, best sommelier in Europe in 2017, he was ranked third in the previous world competition, in 2019.
Knowledge tests and blind tasting
I hear that this type of championship can cause incomprehension, treacherous remarks like: “Apart from knowing how to uncork the bottle ordered by the customer, what can you ask of a sommelier? To give you an idea of the skills and knowledge needed, here’s what they were asked to do this year. As a prerequisite, you must, of course, be a sommelier. Generally voted best sommelier in his home country. And express yourself perfectly in a foreign language, compulsory during the oral exams of the competition.
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