Li Xiaolong was crowned the winner of the 2024 China’s Best Sommelier Competition of French Wine yesterday after an intense afternoon of competition at Regent Shanghai on the bund.
Running for the 15th edition of the competition, this year six finalists were vying for the coveted title. The finalists were tested through practical skills of red wine and champagne serving, as well as food and wine pairing, blind testing and one-minute quiz for their wine knowledge.
Li, a Gen-Z born in 1990s who recently launched his own sommelier studio in Beijing called Xiao Li Sommelier Studio (晓礼·侍酒工作室), impressed the judges with his professional skills and took home the top prize. Prior to starting his business, Li worked at DrinkArts Studio in Beijing, founded by Li Meiyu, China’s first female to achieve advanced sommelier title.
Li’s career as a sommelier started in 2019, inspired by his wife who worked for the wine industry. Originally from Shenzhen, Li holds a postgraduate degree in hospitality management from the University of Houston.
Yonex Zhang, the wine director of the VOS Group in Shanghai, was named the runner-up, while Dirk Chen from the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong finished third.
The panel of judges consisted of leading sommeliers from China and France, including Lu Yang Ms, the first Chinese master sommelier, Nelson Chow, the chairman of Hong Kong Sommelier Association, Guo Ying, an advanced sommelier founded her wine studio in Shanghai, Jiang Yi, the founder and president of Tascovery Gourmet School in Shanghai, Xu Wei, a seasoned wine educator, and Jean-Pascal Paubert, the director of Bordeaux International Wines & Spirits Academy, who participated the judging via video call.
VIP judges from the wine and catering industries also attended, including Denis Vergneau, general manager of Sinodis; Merak Chen, Asia-Pacific representative of Ducru-Beaucaillou; Kiran Gong from The Wine Company; Nicolas Le Bec from Villa Le Bec; and Melody Ren from Ganlanhuabao.com.
The event was hosted by Taste France and organized by Hopscotch Season. Under the Ministry of Agriculture, Agrifood, and Forestry of France, Taste France brand promotes French agri-food products and shares the latest information about French cuisine, wine and spirits to worldwide audience.
In 2022, sommelier was included as a profession for the first time in the Chinese Occupational Classification Encyclopedia, the official dictionary of careers in China, marked the growing recognition of the sommelier industry.
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