In 2019, Antwerp will be the host city of the 'Concours du Meilleur Sommelier du Monde', a world championship for sommeliers. The General Meeting of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) decided this on Sunday in Belgrade. The Scheldt city's candidacy defeated the famous French wine city of Bordeaux by 23 votes against 17.

The prestigious tournament is organized every three years and is therefore looking for the best sommelier in the world. The candidates must be active in a restaurant, wine bar, wine tasting or gastronomic sector.

According to the Belgian Sommeliers Guild, Antwerp wanted to become the next host city because the first edition took place in our country fifty years ago - then in Brussels.

"In 2019, we want to show the world what Belgium has to offer and also make the sommelier profession more attractive to a young audience," William Wouters, chairman of the Belgian Sommeliers Guild, said in an initial response on Sunday.

Whether there will also be a Belgian world champion remains to be seen. The best Belgian result in the competition dates back to 2013, when Aristide Spies finished third. This year the Concours du Meilleur Sommelier du Monde took place in Mendoza, Argentina, with the Swede Jon Arvid Rosengren as the winner.

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More information about the course of the World Cup will follow!