World Norway
Norwegian
Sommelier Association
20 year Anniversary Celebration, Norwegian Championship, Young Sommelier and Honorary Members. Norwegian Sommelier Association has completed its largest event ever.
Les finalistes des Meilleurs Jeunes Sommeliers 2011The association was established in November 1990 by a group of enthusiasts who wanted to improve the academic and professional wine community in Norway. Norwegian Sommelier Association has been active for 20 years and an unifying factor for the country’s sommeliers.
Celebrating our first 20 years was a perfect opportunity to host an event not only for the sommeliers, but also to invite hotel and restaurant employees to attend, to party and share world class food and wine.
Our partners for 2011-12 were more than willing to contribute and with their help and support we could organize a party that truly put its mark on the winter night. 200 bottles of Champagne and hundreds of excellent wines from around the world were served during the celebration.
Together with our partners we contacted some of the country's best Chefs asking them to prepare food for the arrangement. And so they did! Signature dishes from the Chefs were presented and served throughout the evening.
Our partners : Grand Cru – Haugen Group and Nespresso
Premier Cru – Fondberg, Vinordia and Trasury Wine Estates
Cru partners – Alsace wines and Luigi Bormioli wineglasses
Our chefs Terje Næss – Winner of Bocuse d’Or 1999.
Gunnar Harnes – Bronze winner Bocuse d’Or 2011.
Sverre Sætre – Olympic games/World Champion 2006-08.
Kari Innerå – Norwegian and Nordic Champion.
Esben Bank – Chef at the recently established Maaemo Restaurant in Oslo.
Nespresso Norwegian Championship 2011
After careful selection, 10 participants were ready for the semifinal where the theoretical test and the blind tasting of Vina Tondonia Blanco 1992 and Barolo Riserva 1998 Scarpa, would show 3 finalists. As always, the tasks of the final were very challenging and with a record-breaking number of spectators, the competition was very close. After a blind tasting of 15 distilled products, food and wine matching with extremely high degree of difficulty and in addition several other difficult tasks, the winner was to be selected.
The champion was Francesco Azzarone of Grefsenkollen restaurant and member of the National Team of Norwegian Sommeliers. The second place went to Simon Zimmerman – Lysebu restaurant, and Kristian Beijer – Bølgen og Moi restaurant, won the third prize.
Francesco holds an Italian citizenship, but according to international rules he is allowed to participate for the Norwegian National Team. However, he has applied for Norwegian citizenship. Francisco and the other finalists were given a number of prizes and the Norwegian Sommelier Associations new travelling trophy was presented for the first time. The most rewarding prize was the Nespresso ambassador programme. In the coming year Francesco will be given the possibility to travel, taste and give
lectures regarding coffee in connection with his profession as sommelier.
Taittinger Young Sommelier 2011
After a selection between almost 80 registered participants, 9 were selected to take part in this competition that Aperitif and Norwegian Sommelier Association holds. The candidates, all under the age of 26 and working in the hotel and restaurant industry, participated with a lot of enthusiasm and 3 were selected for the final.
The Norwegian Championship was a very close competition, but the Young Sommelier contest was even closer. The participants excellently handled the blindtasting and serving of champagne. Finally a winner was selected : Henrik Dahl Jahnsen, of Bølgen og Moi restaurant. Two members of the National Team of Norwegian Sommeliers: Paola Schwartz, of Oro restaurant and Aleksander Iversen, of Cru restaurant, earned the second and third prizes respectively. We will certainly see more from these young sommeliers in the future.
Finale du Championnat norvégien Honorary Members
After 20 years it was about time that we showed our appreciation of the work of 2 persons that have been very important for the association. It was easy to choose the persons to honour as one established the association and was the President for more than 12 years and the other has thought and educated sommeliers for 19 years. Norwegian Sommelier Association gave them honorary membership for life: Remi Madsen and Christopher Moestue.
20 year Anniversary Celebration
We were curious to see if the hotel and restaurant industry would accept our invitation to celebrate the anniversary with us. Our goal of 300 guests was met and some 550 guests visited us during the day. 250 guests attended the programme during day and with 300 guests in the evening the assembly room was filled with life.
Our guests from Italy, Giuseppe Vaccarini (World's Best Sommelier 1978) and Piero Sattanino ( World's Best Sommelier 1971) and from Switzerland, Paolo Basso (Europe's Best Sommelier 2011), highly praised the arrangements and were very impressed with the event. A total of 4 masterclasses were carried out during the day where the sommeliers and the industry received information about subjects ranging from coffee to American wines.
Norwegian Sommelier Association is continuously working to improve the cooperation with all branches of the hotel and restaurant industry and would like contact with forums where this approach may be further developed. The board of directors of Norwegian Sommelier Association 2011 President :
Ken Canaiolo Engebretsen Vice-président :
Heini Pedersen
Board Members :
Kerstin Anlén, Lene Ski, Daniel Johansson,
Svein Lindin, Merete Bø Norwegian Sommelier Association
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