[Vancouver, BC] The Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers British Columbia Chapter (CAPS BC), is happy to announce the title of Best Sommelier of British Columbia 2019 goes to: Matthew Landry, General Manager & Beverage Director of The Stable House Bistro in Vancouver. Landry, a three-time finalist, showed incredible poise throughout the competition and deservedly took home the title of Best Sommelier of BC 2019.
In a very exciting finale, Landry outscored second place winner Christina Hartigan of Wildebeest Restaurant and third place winner Leagh Barkley of Il Caminetto Restaurant. Along with her second place recognition, Hartigan was also awarded “Best Taster” of the day, scoring the highest blind tasting score in the history of the competition.
CAPS BC president Lesley Brown announced the winner at the post competition reception held at Encore @ Rogers Arena, “We are incredibly proud to crown Matthew BC’s Best Sommelier and are honored to have him represent CAPS BC as our 2019 champion. A tremendous congratulations to both Christina and Leagh for a great day of competition today. Christina’s blind tasting score was the highest we have ever seen. All 12 of today’s competitors did exceptionally well and we’re very proud of continued growth and level of competition here in British Columbia.”
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The fifth annual competition, emceed this year by Sean Nelson (winner of 2018 Best Sommelier BC Competition), attracted sommeliers from across the province to compete in the Captains Room at Rogers Arena for the title of Best Sommelier of British Columbia 2019. The day started with an intense written theory exam and blind tasting. Then, the top three scoring sommeliers from the morning session were put through a series of practical tests such as executing a sparkling wine service, spotting errors in a written wine menu, a food & wine pairing, and a blind wine/spirit/and cocktail tasting; all done LIVE in front of 100+ spectators that filled the room at Rogers Arena.
This year's competition judges were: Barbara Philip MW, Jason Yamasaki, and Sebastien Le Goff.
The competition is coordinated and hosted by Technical Director and Vice-President of CAPS BC, DJ Kearney.
And, a special THANK YOU to all those volunteers, sponsors and supporters whose efforts all contribute to building the sommelier community here in British Columbia. In particular, thank you to the Vancouver International Wine Festival (President Harry Hertscheg) for their continued support of CAPS BC; this year, along with the Best Sommelier of BC competition, Harry and VIWF are sponsoring the flights for two of our CAPS Canada Competitors to be able to compete for the ASI Best Sommelier of the World Competition held in Antwerp, Belgium later this year.
About Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers
Established in 1989, the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) is a pan-Canadian association, which brings together individuals within the sommelier profession, restaurant services, and other sectors of the wine industry.
As a not-for-profit organization, CAPS aims to promote and educate the sommelier profession through professional development and networking events related to the wine and spirits industry. Visit: http://sommelierscanada.com/
