A few good bottles are sure to be popped open when Andrey Ivanov arrives home. The general manager and wine director at Olio and Elaia tied for first place in the national Chaine des Rotisseurs’ Best Young Sommelier competition on Saturday, May 3 in California.
In March, The Scoop reported Ivanov qualified for both this event and the Guild of Sommeliers’ Top New Somm competition at the regional level, advancing him to last weekend’s national events. Ivanov tied with Jane Lopes, sommelier at Ristorante Morini in New York City, for the first place spot in the Best Young Sommelier category. The competitors’ regional qualifying scores were used as a tiebreaker; Lopes’ higher score earned her the title, but both still received first prize awards.
“This is a huge honor. It’s something that I’ve definitely been striving for for a few years, and the best part about it is to be able to come out to a competition (and be) surrounded by peers and friends you only see once or twice a year,” Ivanov said. “To compete against the best sommeliers in the country and to come out ahead is an incredible honor in itself.”
The competition was rigorous, Ivanov said, and consisted of three parts: a written theory exam, a blind tasting and service exam that included role-playing specific dining scenarios. This is Ivanov’s second consecutive year at the Best Young Sommelier competition and the first time a St. Louis-area sommelier has won the event.
“I’m more proud of that than anything else,” Ivanov said. “It’s the best place that most people have no been to yet. I’ve made it a point to stay and build my career in St. Louis because it’s a hidden gem. What we can do on the restaurant side of things and on the wine side of things… In our city, you can’t really ask for much more.”
This article appears in May 2014.