The Court of Master Sommeliers Oceania has announced the results of its Introductory and Certified examinations held in Sydney last week, with Felix Auzou awarded the title of the 2019 Riedel Sydney Certified Sommelier Dux.

2019 Sydney Results

The 2019 Riedel Sydney Certified Sommelier Dux was awarded to Felix Auzou (Dear Saint Eloise), 37 students achieved The Introductory Sommelier Certificate, and 15 students achieved The Certified Sommelier certificate.

The Court of Master Sommeliers

The Court of Master Sommeliers was established in 1977 to promote excellence in hotel and restaurant beverage services. The intensive education and examination programme guides aspiring Master Sommeliers through four increasingly rigorous levels of coursework and examinations, culminating in the highly prestigious Master Sommelier Diploma Examination.

The Court of Master Sommeliers in Australia

The first Court of Master Sommelier courses were held in Australia in 2008. Since then in Australia over 1000 students have participated in the examinations resulting in: 683 Introductory Sommelier graduates, 300 Certified Sommelier graduates, 37 Advanced Level Sommeliers and just 6 who have attained the title of Master Sommelier: Franck Moreau MS (merivale), Sebastian Crowther MS (Real Wines/Wine Theory), Benjamin Hasko MS (Luxury Beverage Group), Adrian Filiuta (merivale), Jonathan Ross (Rockpool Dining Group) and Dorian Guillon (Vue de Monde). Worldwide there are currently just 256 Sommeliers who have gained the highly-coveted title of Master Sommelier.

Franck Moreau MS (co-ordinator, Court of Master Sommeliers Oceania) says, “Students attended this year’s Sydney Introductory/Certified programme from ten countries around the world including Singapore, China, The UK, Europe and USA; as well as five States throughout Australia. Certification from The Court of Master Sommeliers is globally recognised and Australia is seen as a centre of excellence for Sommeliers and hospitality professionals worldwide.”

Ben Hasko MS (Master Sommelier) says, “We’ve been impressed by the hard work and dedication shown by this year’s Introductory and Certified graduates. Although our programmes are offered worldwide, many students are electing to undertake their formal certification within Australia and remain within the Oceania region to further their careers. This development and retention of top Sommelier talent has been a significant cultural shift in recent years; and we’re seeing a number of senior sommeliers moving to the Oceania region to further their hospitality careers.”

Dorian Guillon MS (Master Sommelier) says, “Having achieved my Master Sommelier diploma in October 2018, I’ve seen first-hand the dedication and commitment which is required to complete the four levels of certification from The Court of Master Sommeliers. There’s been a broad industry approach to how the students are preparing for the examinations: they are supported by their workplace, are networking closely with other Sommeliers via social media and are keen to connect with other Sommeliers to develop a strong sense of community outside of the examination process. There is a far greater level of connectedness and support between sommeliers completing the programme which is fantastic.”

Photo (above): CMS introductory course, all students.

Photo (below): Felix Auzou, Riedel Sydney certified Dux, 2019.