What the judges said about winner Tanguy Martin


“Tanguy was a strong candidate throughout the day and consistently good in all the tasks. I think his training really showed here – he had a rapport with the ‘diners’ and his personality shone through. He deserved to win.” Nicolas Clerc, ex-sommelier, now at Fields, Morris & Verdin


The judges access the blind tasting


“What stood out for me was how Tanguy really listened to what we asked him to do and then saw it through. As a sommelier you really need to think about how you treat guests in the restaurant, and Tanguy had that quality. He was very aware of everything that was happening on that stage – and he was very happy to be there, which was good to see.”


Eric Zwiebel, head sommelier, Summer Lodge


“It’s always difficult to pick a winner, but we had to do it and Tanguy stood out. He understood all the tasks perfectly – even picking up on the guest celebrating her 30th birthday by choosing a wine that was 30 years old. He was very friendly but very professional. He got more questions right than anyone else but it was his consistency, at the end of the day, that won him the top prize.” Matthieu Longuere, ex-sommelier, now at Cordon Bleu


“I thought we had three very strong finalists, all with a very different style. I like Romain’s soft, reserved approach and Arnaud’s cheekier style. Tanguy came somewhere in between that. He was quick, organised and he had obviously practiced a lot, which really showed.” Gerard Basset, proprietor, Hotel TerraVina, Hampshire


“For me, Tanguy shone in the restaurant scenario. He was very organised – topping up people’s glasses when they needed it with just the right balance of approachability and professionalism – he knew when to hold back and when to offer information.” Roger Jones, chef-proprietor, the Harrow at Little Bedwyn


After trying to identify another four wines


which share the same grape variety but not the same region (Sauvignon Blanc in this case), there follows rapid-fire wine descriptions delivered within a time limit. The sommeliers are given a white and a red wine that they know nothing about. The first must be described as they would to a diner in their restaurant; the second more organoleptically.


“This has a lot of ripe, fruit characters –


mango, pineapple; it’s sweet on the palate with botrytized grapes, but still fresh – an Old World style. It would be perfect with a tarte tatin,” declares finalist Arnaud Bardary, a som- melier at Maze by Gordon Ramsay. He’s not far off. It is a Sauternes, we discover later. There’s a welcome Moët break for the audi- ence while the three finalists, Bourger, Bardary and Martin, regroup for the last round: the res- taurant scenario, the picture round and the final


crowd-pleaser (not least because they get to drink their efforts) – pouring equal glasses from a magnum.


The restaurant scenario is a chance for the


finalists to show off their people skills in addi- tion to their organisational capabilities and knowledge. Martin, a runner-up in last year’s competition, is up first. He immediately raises a laugh from the audience when he tells his ‘guest’ – who has just revealed that it is his


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