It was with great pleasure that the Organising Committee of the International Jeunes Sommeliers Competition could announce that the programme for the 2025 International Final - the 18th since the first one in 2007 - would be hosted by the Bailliage of Switzerland within their Autumn Grand Chapitres.

Seventeen competitors were registered by Bailliages around the world - the highest number of participants to date.

Namely:
Australia - Phillip Hallvig
Belgium - Henri Vanbeselaere
Canada - Grant Bronconnier
Denmark - Toke Fiedler Terkildsen
Finland - Johan Lindström
Germany - Vincent Skroch
Great Britain - Erazem Ocvirk
Israel - Noa Even
Mexico - Brandon Reynoso
Norway - Simon Zachariassen
Poland - Gabriela Ziółkowska
Portugal - Pedro Escoto
Slovenia - Iris Jensterle
Sweden - Ellen Lindegren
Switzerland - Noha Kurzidim Vecchio
Türkiye - Ersin Topkara
USA - Jackson Pudlo

The Semi-final and the Final were held at the Hôtel Métropole on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th respectively. At the Final, in front of an enthusiastic audience, under the leadership of Officier Maître Sommelier Yohann Jousselin the panel of judges put the knowledge and skills of the three finalists to the test.

Correctly, the scores remained a closely guarded secret until the Awards Ceremony later in the day.

Results
The 2025 title was awarded to Denmark’s Toke Fiedler Terkilden, who received a Wempe watch and a 2,500 euro cheque.

Phillip Hallvig (Australia) was the Runner-up, while Erazim Ocvirk representing Great Britain came in Third Place. Phillip and Erazim received cheques of 1,500 euro and 500 euro respectively.

The “Under 25 Trophy” (awarded to the contestant under 25 with the highest Semi-Final score) went to Toke Fiedler Terkilden.

The “Tasting Trophy” (awarded for the highest blind-tasting score in the Semi-Finals) was won by Jackson Pudlo from the USA.

To see the detailed report on the Competition, please click this link: International Final 2025

Thank yous
There are many people who contribute to bringing an international competition to a magnificent conclusion.

First and foremost, on behalf of the Competition Committee, I would like to express my warm appreciation to Bailli Délégué Thomas Kuhn (who is a Member of the Conseils d’Administration and Magistral), Échanson Nadim Arfan (who is a Member of the Conseil Magistral) and Bailli of Geneva Alain Brunier together with all the team in the Bailliage of Switzerland for all their work in the planning and implementation of an extensive programme of events which proved to be a great success.

Naturally, many thanks are also due to Competition Committee: Klaus Tritschler, Philip Evins and newly-appointed member, George Staikos from the USA.

Without a panel of judges and the volunteers who posed as clients during the practical elements, there could not be a Competition. A job very well done by Yohann and his team.

Furthermore, we espcially recognise Wempe Watches for their ongoing sponsorship of the competition. To those people and organisations in the wine and alcoholic beverage industry who have provided valued support, we also say a big thank you.

We wish this year’s competitors all the best for their future careers. There was a great atmosphere despite the demands of the rigorous testing and many new friendships resulted.

Marie Jones
Chair, Jeunes Sommeliers Competition Committee
International Vice-President

Competition Committee
(Chair) Marie Jones, International Vice-President
Klaus Tritschler, Member of the Conseils d’Administration and Magistral
Philip Evins, Member of the Conseil Magistral
George Staikos, Grand Échanson des États-Unis

Panel of Judges
(Head Judge) Yohann Jousselin MS, Officier Maître Sommelier (Great Britain)
Virginia Philip MS, Échanson Provincial, Bailliage Provincial of Southeast (USA)
Tamás Czinki MS, Maître Sommelier (Hungary)
Fabien Mene MS, Maître Sommelier (Switzerland)