The Court of Master Sommeliers Australia has announced the results of its Introductory and Certified Examinations held in Melbourne this February, with 26 students achieving the title of Introductory Sommelier and 12 students achieving the title of Certified Sommelier.
As well as this year’s successful graduates, the Court also revealed that Thibaut Broussier, of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, was awarded the 2018 Melbourne Riedel Certified Sommelier Dux.
The first Court of Master Sommelier courses were held in Australia in 2008. Since then in Australia over 1000 students have participated in the examinations resulting in: 646 Introductory Sommelier graduates, 285 Certified Sommelier graduates, 32 Advanced Level Master Sommeliers and just 5 who have attained the title of Master Sommelier: Franck Moreau MS (Merivale), Sebastian Crowther MS (Rockpool Dining Group), Benjamin Hasko MS (Luxury Beverage Group), Adrian Filiuta (Merivale) and Jonathan Ross (Consultant). Worldwide there are currently just 249 Sommeliers who have gained the highly-coveted title of Master Sommelier.
“Mentorship plays a significant role in the Court of Master Sommeliers ethos. We now have five Master Sommeliers residing in Australia who have been mentored by Master Sommeliers both within Australia and overseas. In turn, there are a number of Advanced Sommelier Certificate graduates who have played an important role in mentoring this year’s intake of Introductory and Certified students,” Moreau said.
The Court of Master Sommeliers was established in 1977 to promote excellence in hotel and restaurant beverage services and Crowther said: “We’re thrilled to have seen students attending the CMS Melbourne programme this year from five states and territories across Australia including Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT.”
Hasko added: “We’re starting to see students come through who have been mentored by previous CMS graduates. It shows that our efforts to continue the growth of the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Sommelier profession in Australia are yielding results”.