Martin Bruno among the top 15 in the world

Some 5,900 bottles of wine and 14,000 glasses: that was the balance of the last ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2019 Competition, which was held in Belgium between March 10 and 15. Martín Bruno, the Argentine representative of the Argentine Association of Sommeliers (AAS), had a more than outstanding performance: he managed to place among the best 15. This meant a jump of 14 positions from the previous World Cup, which took place in Mendoza in 2016. On that occasion, her colleague Paz Levinson had reached fourth place.

In 2017 Bruno was consecrated as Best Sommelier of Argentina and achieved second place in the ASI & APAS Best Sommelier of the Americas Competition. To appear in the sixth edition of the World Cup he had to go through intense training, which was possible thanks to the support of the AAS and the Argentine Center of Wines and Spirits (CAVE), the institution from which he is a graduate. Reaching the semifinal of a competition of this level is an exceptional achievement. Bruno acknowledges that it was “his best performance” and is grateful for the support received.

First place in this edition went to Marc Almert of Germany; Nina H. Jensen of Denmark took second place and Raimond Tomsons of Latvia third. Antwerp was the venue for the final. There, more than 1,100 spectators witnessed the examinations of the semifinalists and finalists.

The final had everything: service tests, blind tasting, pairing recommendations in front of jurors of the stature of Jancis Robinson (British Master of Wine) and some novel challenges, such as joining grape varieties with producers from around the world (an Argentine Pinot Noir from Río Negro appeared there).

The Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) is the organizer of this event, which is held every three years. Matías Prezioso, president of the AAS, said: “On behalf of our Association and, I believe, of the entire group of Argentine sommeliers, I would like to congratulate Martín Bruno for this great achievement, his skills and his great effort as a professional were demonstrated in this competition, representing our country in excellent conditions. It is a great achievement for the Argentine sommellerie. It confirms that we are on the right path, working in a solid and growing way”.