UK Sommelier Of The Year 2018

Next time you drip all over the tablecloth as you’re pouring a bottle of wine, spare a thought for the sommeliers who put themselves through the gruelling regional heats and finals of the Taittinger UK Sommelier of the Year 2018 competition. Now in it’s 39th year, the event at London’s Savoy Hotel saw the final 12 sommeliers take on a variety of challenges including identifying errors on a wine list, blind tasting tests on a range of wines and spirits, serving tables of former winners in a restaurant role-play situation and finally pouring a magnum of Taittinger into 20 glasses.

It was a clean sweep for the north this year - Pierre Brunelli of L’Enclume in Cartmel placed third, Tamas Czinki of Northcote, near Blackburn was second and the winner Alex Freguin is Head Sommelier at Moor Hall, near Ormskirk. Says Alex: “I’m loving work every day at Moor Hall on the floor. It’s a passion and I’ve worked hard for this.” His prizes include a mentoring programme, an all-expenses-paid educational trip to Rioja, a Jeraboam of Taittinger Prestige Rose and a Riedel decanter.