The New Zealand Sommeliers & Wine Professionals Association has announced that Auckland-based sommelier Andrea Martinisi ranked sixth worldwide.
Held over five days in Lisbon, Portugal, the ASI Best Sommelier of the World Competition drew sommeliers from 66 countries competing for the top rankings.
Originally from Italy, Martinisi has lived in New Zealand for nearly a decade and works in Auckland. He won the New Zealand Sommelier title in 2021 and again in 2022. Currently, he works at Normanby Fine Wines.
Martinisi said this has been a great journey, taking months of preparation and study. Now ranked sixth in the world, this is the highest New Zealand has ever been placed.
Although he's not a Kiwi by birth, he was honoured to carry the New Zealand flag on the world stage.
This was Martinisi’s third world competition, and he was happy to do better than in 2023, when he ranked eighth. He added that NZ Sommeliers and Wine Professionals is a small organisation and doesn't have access to the substantial sponsorship funds other top-performing countries use for training.
“The competition was really tough. The theory papers were particularly challenging, with topics ranging from obscure wine regions to advanced winemaking and viticulture techniques,” said Martinisi.
“It was also a fantastic opportunity to network, meet new people and catch up with old friends. These are always very emotional days. This year, the calibre of candidates was the strongest that I’ve seen, which makes me even more proud of this achievement.”
ASI Best Sommelier of the World Winners
- 1st Nikolai Haram Svorte from Norway
- 2nd Pascaline Lepeltier from France
- 3rd Wataru Iwata from Japan
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