{Brandon Kerne and Andrey Ivanov}
We’re raising a glass to local sommeliers. Andrey Ivanov, general manager and wine director at Olio and Elaia, and Brandon Kerne, wine director at 33 Wine Bar, both competed in the TopNewSomm central regional competition held March 3 in Chicago. Ivanov placed first in the event while Kerne drew the runner-up spot. Kerne will be notified within two weeks whether he will be awarded the wild card spot among regional finalists and advance with Ivanov to the national competition, slated for May 4 in San Francisco.
“We beat some of the best people from nationally renown restaurants,” said Kerne. The competition included a written theory exam, a wine tasting exam and service scenario as well as questions. “They grilled us pretty hard,” Kerne said.
Two other sommeliers – Matthew Dulle of the St. Louis Club and Stephen Gitto of Schnucks – represented St. Louis in the Top|Somm competition, which also took place on March 3 in Chicago. Neither sommelier will be moving on to the national round.
Top|Somm and TopNewSomm are “competitions for wine service professionals administered under the framework of the Guild of Sommeliers, judged by Master Sommeliers and governed by the standards of the US Court of Master Sommeliers,” as described on the Guild of Sommeliers website. The Top|Somm competition is open to individuals 30 years of age and older while TopNewSomm is open to individuals between the ages of 21 and 29.
– photo by the Court of Master Sommeliers courtesy of Andrey Ivanov
This article appears in Guide to Beer 2014.