An outstanding competition in Portugal!

It was with great pleasure that the Organising Committee of the International Jeunes Sommeliers Competition could announce that the programme for the 2024 International Final would be hosted by the Bailliage of Portugal within a wider programme of events.

Fourteen competitors were registered by Bailliages around the world, namely:

Belgium - Margaux Balemans
Canada - Maxwell Brayer
Finland - Natalie Hayashi
Germany - Mirco Liesk
Great Britain - Yancheng Liu
Israel - Asaf Arbiv
Korea - Lee Seung Joo
Mexico - Abraham Treviño
Norway - Yohana Haile
Poland - Michal Flis
Portugal - José Marta
Sweden - Albert Wendesten
Türkiye - Turker Sumer
USA - Samuel Neely

The Semi-final was held in the Porto and Madrid Rooms at the Altis Grand Hotel on Friday 18th. The talented young Sommeliers showcased their exceptional skills in competing for a place in the Final the following day. Held behind closed doors, the judges commented on the passion, expertise and dedication of these rising stars from the 14 Bailliages.

With the marks tallied up, at the commencement of the Final on Saturday morning, October 19th, at the Altis Grand Hotel, it was announced that the three finalists were: Mirco Liesk (Germany), Yancheng Liu (Great Britain) and Albert Wendesten (Sweden).

Under the leadership of Officier Maître Sommelier Salvatore Castano the panel of judges put the knowledge and skills of the finalists to the test in front of an enthusiastic audience.

Appropriately, the scores were kept a closely guarded secret until the Awards Ceremony later in the day, the first element of the Gala Awards and Induction Night, again at the Altis Grand Hotel.

The Winner of this year's Jeunes Sommeliers Competition was declared to be Albert Wendesten from Sweden. An outstanding performance deserving of the many congratulations that came his way.

The Runner-up was Germany’s Mirco Liesk and in Third Place was Yancheng Liu representing Great Britain.

The awards for the 1-2-3 were impressive. As well as medals and diplomas for all involved, the Winner was presented with a Wempe wristwatch and received a cash prize of €2,500. The Runner-up received €1,500 and the Third Place competitor received €500.

Furthermore, this year once more followed the awarding of two special trophies established in 2022:

The “Under 25 Trophy” (for the highest scoring competitor under the age of 25 at the conclusion of the Semi-finals) was presented to Germany’s Mirco Liesk.

The “Tasting Trophy” (for the best blind tasting marks at the conclusion of the Semi-finals) was won by Sweden’s Albert Wendesten. Another indication of his outstanding abilities.

Everyone agreed that all the competitors were winners. Congratulations to each one of them therefore!

To conclude, as always there are many people who bring 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 Paulo Amado and especially Chancelier Richard Roestorf from the host Bailliage of Portugal 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 and Philip Evins.

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 Salvatore and his team.

Furthermore, we very much 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.

Last but not least, much appreciation is due to Grand Officier Maître Hôtelier Raul Martins, owner of Altis Hotels, together with his team at the Altis Grand Hotel:
Luis Monteiro - General Manager
Gustavo Alves - Food & Beverage Manager
Susana Mauricio - Groups and Events Manager
Pedro Ferreira - Banqueting Supervisor
Alexandre Gomes - Head Chef
Artur Caldas - Restaurant Manager

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.

Looking ahead, the 2025 International Final of the Jeunes Sommeliers Competition will be hosted by the Bailliage of Switzerland in Geneva, the programme for which will be from Wednesday 10 to Saturday 13 September concurrent with a Grand Chapitre.

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

Photography: Kareem Moussa
Photo editing: Sami Khatib

Competition Committee
(Chair) Marie Jones, International Vice-President
Klaus Tritschler, Member of the Conseil d’Administration
Philip Evins, Member of the Conseil Magistral

Panel of Judges
Salvatore Castano, Maître Sommelier, Great Britain (Head Judge)
Kathrine Larsen-Robert, Maître Sommelier (Great Britain)
Tamás Czinki, Maître Sommelier (Hungary)
Eugénia “Genny” Queiroz, Échanson (Portugal)