Finalists of Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award selected

They are Angie Langlands, sommelier at The Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu Natal; Cashias Gumbo, sommelier at La Colombe Restaurant in Constantia, Western Cape; and Gareth Ferreira, sommelier at the Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa in Johannesburg, Gauteng; representing the three provinces with the highest concentration of fine dining restaurants in South Africa.

The 2014 semi-finals took place on 18 August 2014 at Catharina's Restaurant at Steenberg Estate in Constantia. Neil Grant, sommelier and co-owner of Burrata Restaurant and chairperson of the South African Sommelier Association, Higgo Jacobs, sommelier and consultant and Ginette de Fleuriot (CWM), Vinimark marketing manager, judged the seven semi-finalists. The semi-finals included a blind tasting of two wines and a service component, which focussed on food and wine pairings and service skills in a mock restaurant setting.

Organiser of the award, Ginette de Fleuriot CWM, is very impressed with the high calibre of the 2014 finalists, "This is the fourth year that we are staging this competition and each year, it's most gratifying to see such exceptional young sommeliers coming to the fore. The final will no doubt be a fiercely competitive contest for this prestigious award."

The South African Sommelier Association (SASA) is fully behind The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award and some of its members are judges at the semi-finals and the finals. The association aims to provide training and mentorship to guarantee the continuous development of professional standards of wine service at the highest level. For more information, go to www.wineserviceaward.co.za.