British sommelier breaks wine glass holding record

A British sommelier has smashed the world record for the number of wine glasses held in one hand.

Philip Osenton breaks the world record for the most wine glasses held in one hand

Philip Osenton, 43, surpassed the previous record of 39 glasses, by holding an incredible 51 wine glasses in his hand.

Wine consultant Osenton, who is based in Beijing, worked at the Ritz and Savoy early in his career and said those jobs laid the groundwork for his ability to set this record.

He said: “The carrying of glasses is a sommelier thing. When I was head sommelier at the Ritz hotel, I’ve had a 140-cover restaurant to set up in the morning between breakfast and lunch, so basically with two glasses per setting I had 280 glasses to put out with a very short amount of time.”

Osenton stacked the glasses on their side, on top of each other and in his left hand; in his first attempt he held 45 glasses, before trying again and getting to 51.

After his first attempt Osenton said: “I felt pretty confident towards the end, and then just the last couple on top you could see them hanging over the edges a little bit and we lost the structure.

“My PB was 44 during the week in practising so it was great to beat that today.

“With the right glass I think I could do a few more. This is not the ideal glass, it is a Libby glass, but it’s not perfect. If I found the perfect glass I think I could do a few more.”

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