The best sommelier of Europe competition took place this month in San Remo, Italy.
There was a double success for Ireland at the competition, as the country's top sommelier made it to the semi-finals, while an Irish man was deemed to have given the greatest journalistic work to the sector.
Julie Dupouy, Sommelier/Wine Manager of Donnybrook Fair, was the Irish Guild of Sommeliers competitor at these competitions.
Julie is the current Best Sommelier in Ireland after winning the Irish Guild of Sommeliers National Competition in 2012.
Created in 1988 and organized until 2006 by Ruinart, the contest goal is to 'contribute to the valorisation of the wine tasting art' of the sommelier that has evolved as a profession down through the years.
The selection criteria for these competitions are very rigorous and are held under the supervision of a Technical Commission that includes, among others, five Best Sommeliers of the Word.
The quarter-finals took place with 37 candidates competing. Ten candidates including the Irish candidate Julie Dupouy went through to the semi-finals
Jon Arvid Rosengren of Sweden was crowned the winner of the overall competition.
Andrew O'Gorman, secretary of the Irish Guild of Sommeliers, won the Chandon Champagne, an award for the best journalistic or literary works that have the sommelier profession as their theme.