Five new Master Sommeliers named

The Court of Master Sommeliers has named five new recipients of its top accolade, including Germany’s first female MS, Bulgaria’s first ever MS and Japan’s first MS, aged just 24.

The five new Master Sommeliers passed their exams at the historic Stift Klosterneuburg wine school and monastery in Austria on Saturday 17 August. The candidates present had already passed their practical exam in which the students are tested on their ability to perform tasks such as decanting wine, pouring sparkling wine and serving customers in a mock restaurant scenario.

Candidates therefore took the blind tasting exam, comprising six wines (three whites and three reds) and lasting for 25 minutes, and/or the oral theory exam.

The successful students included Helga Schroeder MS, Germany’s first female Master Sommelier; Carlos Simoes MS, Portugal’s second Master Sommelier; Pierre Brunelli MS; Svetoslav Manolev MS, Bulgaria’s first Master Sommelier; and Toru Takamatsu MS, Japan’s first Master Sommelier.

Speaking to the drinks business Ronan Sayburn MS, CEO of the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe and head of wine at 67 Pall Mall, commented: “The pass rate of these exams is usually 4%. I don’t think we’ve ever had five people pass in one go before, or at least we haven’t for some time.

“A lot of the people that passed on Saturday have been taking the exams for several years. Obviously it’s very disappointing when you don’t pass time after time, but the distinguishing feature of the people that pass these exams is their tenacity – they just don’t give up. They go away and instead of thinking negatively about the experience, they study and taste more.

“We were very pleased about the results as it was quite historic, we had a lot of firsts. We’ve crowned the first female German Master Sommelier and had our first Bulgarian Master Sommelier.

“What was really quite extraordinary was Toru, who is only 24 years of age, and he passed the exam in just two attempts. He’s a very smart guy, if he wasn’t doing wine exams he’d be working for Tesla or something similar, colonising new planets! He’s very switched on.

“It’s very interesting for us to get a Japanese Master Sommelier as Japan has traditionally had quite a closed wine scene. It’s brilliant to have some Japanese interest in the award and we’re very excited about it.

“We held the same examinations in Austria last year and had zero passes. It was difficult to do my speech at the end of the course when everyone was quite down, but this year it was fantastic to have five people who passed.”

A total of 18 candidates took exams last weekend taking the total number of Master Sommeliers in the world to 262. Students are given a three-year limit to pass all sections of their exams.

Scroll through to find out more about each of the new recipients.

Helga Schroeder MS

The newly-crowned Master Sommeliers include Helga Schroeder MS, Germany’s first female Master Sommelier. Schroeder is currently a fine wine specialist at Stuttgart’s Weinhandlung Kreis as well as an independent wine and spirits consultant. She has also chalked up stints at Mayfair’s Hedonism, Mövenpick Wine and restaurant Augustenstüble.

Carlos Simoes MS

Carlos Simoes MS, group head sommelier of Vue Group in Melbourne, Australia has become Portugal’s second Master Sommelier. Simoes grew up on the family vineyard and later studied hospitality before moving to London to work at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. He then joined Dinner by Heston Blumenthal before taking up the role of group head sommelier at Australian restaurant group Vue. Founded by chef Shannon Bennett in 2000, the group’s portfolio includes Vue de monde, Lui Bar, Jardin Tan, Piggery Cafe, Iki-jime, Vue Events, Cafe Vue and Burnham Bakery & Benny Burger.

Pierre Brunelli MS

Pierre Brunelli MS, operations manager at Simon Rogan’s Umbel restaurant group, also picked up the top accolade. Brunelli was a finalist in the previous two editions of Taittinger’s UK Sommelier of the Year and was previously a formerly at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck where he worked at the Bray site and also at the pop-up in Melbourne. Brunelli has also held roles at the The Greenhouse and Hotel du Vin in Henley-on-Thames.

Svetoslav Manolev MS

Svetoslav Manolev MS has become Bulgaria’s first Master Sommelier. Manolev is the head sommelier at Ormer in Flemings Hotel in Mayfair having previously been assistant head sommelier at London members’ club 67 Pall Mall. He has also held roles at Coya and Park Chinois.

Commenting on his achievement, Manolev said: “It’s an honour to be awarded Master Sommelier, and not only that, to be Bulgaria’s first! My passion for wine, along with hard work and dedication has led me to achieving one of my lifelong goals. At Ormer Mayfair, I look forward to building on our collection of wines and continuing to use my knowledge to showcase only the highest quality and most exciting wines to our guests.”

Henrik Muehle, general manager at Flemings Mayfair, commented: “We’re incredibly proud of Svet to have been awarded one of the highest accolades in the industry, and are fortunate to have someone as experienced and knowledgeable on our team. I look forward to seeing how our wine offering at Ormer continues to develop with him at the helm.”

Toru Takamatsu MS

Finally, Toru Takamatsu MS has become Japan’s first Master Sommelier at the tender age of 24. Takamatsu passed his advanced exams in 2017 and his Master Sommelier exams in just two attempts. He is currently assistant wine manager at Hide in London and described his achievement as “one of the greatest and emotional moments” of his life.