PRESS RELEASE
ASI BEST SOMMELIER OF ASIA & OCEANIA 2018
KICKS OFF TOMORROW
24 top sommeliers from all over Asia & Oceania have arrived in Kyoto
Kyoto, October 15, 2018 – With merely hours to go before the The Best Sommelier of Asia & Oceania 2018 competition kicks off, the 24 official candidates from 12 countries are all present in the beautiful city of Kyoto, anticipating the coming week’s challenges.
The Japanese Sommelier Association (JSA) kindly invited the presidents of all of ASI’s member countries to Kyoto, and more than 20 presidents of national associations from outside Asia and Oceania are attending the competition this week. 200 guests are expected at the semi-final on Wednesday and more than 800 guests have registered for the final on Thursday. With such an extensive audience, the Best Sommelier of Asia & Oceania offers great opportunities for exposure to the partners of both JSA and ASI.
A number of ASI’s partners have travelled to Japan to show their support. Chef & Sommelier, Ligne W/Château Laguiole and Sommeliers International are all represented in Kyoto.
ASI president Andrés Rosberg arrived in Kyoto Saturday afternoon and is hard at work with the Sommelier Contest Committee and the Technical Committee to oversee the final details of the contest.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the fourth ASI Best Sommelier of Asia & Oceania with a record number of participating countries. This growth in ASI international competitions mirrors the development of our profession and the strength of a solid global community.” says Rosberg.
“Returning to Japan, where the first edition of this contest was held in 2009, once again highlights this country’s role as one of the major centres of sommellerie in the world, as well as ASI’s commitment to fully engage in the development of the sommelier profession in this fascinating and fast-growing part of the globe.”
The candidates for the title of Best Sommelier of Asia & Oceania 2018 are:
Australia
Banjo Harris Plane
Mattia Antonio Cianca
China
Choi Kam Fung Reeze
Derek Li
Indonesia
Togu Sahat Nainggolan
Wicien Widjaja
Japan
Taku Iguro
Waturu Iwata
Kazakhstan
Dayana Nassyrova
Victor Tigay
Korea
Cho Hyeon Cheol
Jungmin An
Malaysia
Britt NG
Justin Li
New Zealand
Andrea Martinisi
Marek Przyborek
Philippines
Gerald Damasco
Guina Eanglebert
Singapore
Alan Au
Alvin Gho
Taiwan
Po Ting Luo
Thomas Hsin-Wei Ho
Thailand
Bottorff Thanakorn
Towatcharakun Pakpoom
Contact: Liora Levi
Head of Media and Communication Michèle Chantôme
Secretary General ASI
Director PR, Communication & Marketing
