The Court of Master Sommeliers Oceania has announced the results of its Advanced Examinations held in Sydney this week, with Leanne Altmann (Andrew McConnell Restaurants) the first female in the history of The Court of Master Sommeliers in Australia to be awarded the title of Riedel Advanced Sommelier Dux.
2018 Australian Results
▪ The 2018 Riedel Advanced Sommelier Dux was awarded to Leanne Altmann (Andrew McConnell Restaurants)
▪ 5 students were awarded the title of Advanced Sommelier
▪ The 2018 Advanced Sommelier Certificate graduates are: Gerard Bellis, Jared Hill (Brae Restaurant), Kyle Poole (Rockpool Bar and Grill Sydney), Leanne Altmann (Andrew McConnell Restaurants), Miguel Giteau (Vue de Monde)
The Court of Master Sommeliers
The Court of Master Sommeliers was established in 1977 to promote excellence in hotel and restaurant beverage services. The intensive education and examination programme guides aspiring Master Sommeliers through four increasingly rigorous levels of coursework and examinations, culminating in the highly prestigious Master Sommelier Diploma Examination.
The Court of Master Sommeliers in Australia
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, 37 Advanced Level Sommeliers and just 5 who have attained the title of Master Sommelier: Franck Moreau MS (Merivale), Sebastian Crowther MS (Real Wines), Benjamin Hasko MS (Luxury Beverage Group), Adrian Filiuta (Merivale) and Jonathan Ross (Rockpool Dining Group). Worldwide there are currently just 249 Sommeliers who have gained the highly-coveted title of Master Sommelier.
Ronan Sayburn MS (CEO, Court of Master Sommeliers Europe) says, “We’re now in our eleventh year of operations in Australia and in recent times we’ve extended our offering to seven countries throughout the Asia Pacific region. This demonstrates that there is high demand from students within the Asia Pacific region and there is now a far greater awareness of the benefits of gaining professional certification through The Court of Master Sommeliers”.
Franck Moreau MS (Co-ordinator, Court of Master Sommeliers Oceania) says, “Leanne Altmann (Beverage Director, Andrew McConnell Restaurants) is the first female in the history of The Court of Master Sommeliers in Australia to be awarded the title of Riedel Advanced Sommelier Dux. This is a tremendous achievement and her expertise, knowledge and dedication to her profession are to be highly commended.”
Ben Hasko MS (Master Sommelier) says, “We’ve been impressed by the hard work and dedication shown by this year’s Advanced graduates. Although our programmes are offered worldwide, the majority of this year’s students have come through the Introductory and Certified programmes held in either Sydney or Melbourne. It’s thrilling to see students gaining certification from The Court of Master Sommeliers, who are then choosing to remain in Australia to work and continue their studies. Australia really is perceived as having an exciting and dynamic restaurant and dining scene with enormous opportunities for top Sommeliers and beverage professionals”.
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