A wide range of applicants entered the first round of the competition, all of whom wrote an "open book" test, from which the 10 best have progressed to the semi-finals.
All first round applicants needed to be currently employed in the service of food and wine and have at least three years' experience. Most entrants work at top restaurants and hotels in the main tourist regions, although, surprisingly, there were no entrants from either Mpumalanga or Limpopo provinces.
First round candidates were assessed on the basis of their completed questionnaire (theoretical component), as well as on the basis of their practical experience of wine service in a fine-dining environment.
Mike Buthelezi: Signature Restaurant
Sean Trollip: Kream Restaurant
Francis Krone: Saxon Boutique Hotel
Gregory Mutambe: The 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa
David Nel: La Colombe Restaurant
Joakim Blackadder: The Roundhouse Restaurant
Josephine Gutentoft: Grande Roche Hotel and Bosman's Restaurant
Carl Heinz Habel: Mount Nelson Hotel
Wayve Kolevsohn: Le Quartier Français
Eric Botha: The Oyster Box Hotel
The recently formed South African Sommelier Association (SASA) is fully behind The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award and some of its members will be judges at the competition. The association aims to provide training and mentorship to guarantee the continuous development of professional standards of wine service at the highest level.
The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award semi-finals will be held in early August in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Semi-finalists for the practical component of the competition will be tested on their knowledge of wine styles and tasting ability in the form of a blind tasting. They will be assessed further on their competence in making food-and-wine-pairing recommendations and, finally, on their ability to perform tasks of professional wine service.
The final of The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award will take place in Cape Town in October 2011 at a venue to be announced and the winner will be announced at The Swartland Revolution on 11 November, 2011.
For further details, go to www.wineserviceaward.co.za.
