NZ Winegrowers name 2018 sommelier scholars

New Zealand Winegrowers has announced the UK, Ireland and European recipients of its 2018 International Sommelier Scholarship, which will see eight individuals travel to the country for an educational sommit attended by just 20 sommeliers.

First launched in 2015 with a scholarship for Australian sommeliers, the programme is now a global initiative with the European sommeliers joining scholars from Australia, Asia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA.

Each sommelier will attend a Sommit event in New Zealand hosted by Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas and Master of Wine Stephen Wong. 

Next year’s Sommits will take place in Nelson and Central Otago, two of New Zealand’s top winemaking regions, with the events a celebration of the lesser-known aspects of New Zealand wine, with emphasis on the aspects that that resonate with the sommelier community.

“In this the second year of running the scholarship programme in Europe, we received a huge number of high quality applicants from across the continent,” said Chris Stroud, marketing manager Europe, New Zealand Winegrowers. “The chosen sommeliers stood out as being extremely passionate and eager to immerse themselves in the world of New Zealand wine.”

“Our objective is that these sommeliers will become true ambassadors for New Zealand wine, sharing personal wine discoveries and insights from their trips with restaurant guests and the wider sommelier community.”

The successful sommeliers are:-

Marc Almert – Baur au Lac, Zurich, Switzerland
James Devereux – Manchester House, Manchester, UK
Jurica Gojevic – Adare Manor, Limerick, Ireland
Stefan Kobald – Social Company, London, UK
Fredrik Lindfors – Grand Hotel Stockholm, Sweden
Andrea Martinisi – Hotel Terravina, Hampshire, UK
Lendl Mijnhijmer – Hotel 27, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Glen Montgomery – Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh, UK