Tastings were led by winemaker Elise Losfelt at Moët & Chandon’s Trianon residence


sommeliers stand; there are 7,500 vines per hectare; he keeps a 1.1 metre space between each vine; and harvest lasts 12 days, when 3,000 extra people are employed as it’s done entirely by hand.


All of this information is absorbed by the


Sommelier of the Year candidates. After all, nobody knows what might come up in the final, and besides, it will also help in the pur- suit of other professional qualifications. Tobias Brauweiler, head sommelier at


Hakkasan, knows only too well the value of paying attention when these experts are imparting their knowledge. He has competed in the last six competitions, coming second in his third year and just missing out on the final three in 2014.


“On the questionnaire side, each year you


learn more,” he says. “You have to constantly improve, going deeper into producers, coun- tries and regions. It’s also useful for my Master Sommelier studies.”


Having won the regional final in London,


Brauweiler is on the trip as part of what he says will be his last shot at the title. “There were so many young guys and for me it was inspiring to be able to show them where they have to be and in which direction they have to train and study to emulate the likes of [fellow finalists] Arnaud Bardary and Olivier Marie,” he adds. One area in which Brauweiler, like the


other sommeliers, has to pay special attention is the base wine tasting, which takes place back at Moët & Chandon’s Grand Trianon residence in Épernay. Taken by winemaker Elise Losfelt, the technical tasting explores the art of creating a consistent non-vintage Champagne year after year using a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier grapes from Moët’s vineyards. The wines are sharp and acidic – these certainly aren’t for quaffing. This is strictly educational.


“The wines are very closed,” Losfelt explains. “If they’re not closed now when they’re developed in the Champagne it will be too oxidised. We need to think two to three years ahead.


“The reason we do it is to understand what happened in the harvest of 2014, and how we deal with the quality that we have each year to ensure we reproduce the consistency we’re looking for in our non-vintage. We want


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