It is always nice being able to meet inspiring people and for some the name of the following sommeliers might not immediatly ring a bell, but his accomplishments travel wide and far. Please meet Tommy Lam. Tommy Lam, who was born and raised in Singapore, was and still is a very ambitious man in every sense of the word. That’s the least we can say! He actually started to get in touch with wine as a “requirement that initially made him follow (and certify) an MBA in wine management in Bordeaux, but eventually turned into a passion . When he returned home after his MBA many people started asking him if he could teach them a few things about wine… at that moment he realized he didn’t know anyth
The most successful people in life, are usually very modest people! A great example of a modest top sommelier is Roy Pelgrim. I can say for a fact that there are lots of sommeliers (or people in general) with faaaar less accomplishments that start flying and lose control, but not Roy he is modesty itself with his 2 feet on the ground. RESPECT! Next to his 2 victories of the title of Best Sommelier of The Netherlands, Roy has done his fair share of International competitions with results one can be very proud of. He is WSET level 3 and 4 diploma holder, has got for the previous the Weinacademiker Award (because he had best WSET results from the BENELUX), has obtained his ASI diploma, has b
Italians are known for liking to talk a lot, the below interview actually confirms that :-) I actually had to add a few extra questions as he had so much to share :-) :-) Please meet Giuseppe Vaccarini, Best Sommelier of the world in 1978. As the interview itself is longer, I'll keep my intro shorter and let you discover for yourself who Giuseppe is . Giuseppe grew up in a time where there were not to many specialized wine or sommelier course were available… or maybe even the recognition of the job as sommelier was not what it is today. So like most people Giuseppe started his working career after graduating. It can definitely be said that in his career Giuseppe had quit the nice start as in
With 2019 ASI World Championship for sommelier approaching I try to introduce to you some of the former winners of this prestigious title. Over the past 2 years you were already able to read a few interviews with former World Champions like Piero Sattatino (1971), Gerard Basset (2010), Paolo Basso (2013), Arvid Rosengren (2016) and just recently the interview with the first winner of the ASI Best Sommelier of the world contest Armand Melkonian (1969). Who knows, maybe these former champions have some tips for the current generation of Sommeliers?! The next former World Champion I want to introduce to you is German top sommelier and Master of Wine Makus Del Monego who won the title in 1998.
I’ve already interviewed a large number of Sommeliers in the past 2 years, but this one is extra special. It is with great honor to introduce to you Armand Melkonian!! Armand Melkonian was 31 years old when he won the first edition of the Best Sommelier of the World Championship in 1969 hosted in Brussels!! I know that over the last 50 years the world of wine and sommellerie has evolved massively, but it is thanks to people like Armand this evolution took place :-) . It is also with lots of respect that many sommeliers talk about Armand. Although Armand was raised in France and has always defended the French Tricolor with lots of pride, his love for France is shared with that one for the co
