The IWSC acquires the UK Sommelier of the Year competition

The IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Competition) has acquired the UK Sommelier of the Year to run the award as part of its wine and spirits community.

The competition was sold by The Caterer parent company Jacobs Media. It has been the custodian of the premier accolade in UK wine service since 2014, running the competition alongside the UK Sommelier Academy with the support of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale.

The IWSC will now take on the competition, working with the UK Sommelier Academy to develop a new format for the celebrated competition and continue to recognise the UK’s finest sommeliers.

Jacobs Media chairman Clive Jacobs said: “It has been a pleasure to see the UK Sommelier of the Year competition grow and recognise so much talent over the past 10 years. The time has now come to pass on the privilege of driving forward such an important award scheme for the sommelier community and I’m delighted that in the IWSC it will be in the best possible hands.

“I’d like to put on record my thanks to the UK Sommelier Academy for all their support in running the UK Sommelier of the Year and wish both parties every success.”

The IWSC, part of the Conversion Group, is an awarding body for wine and spirits that champions the best beverages from around the world.

IWSC chief executive Christelle Guibert said: “At the IWSC, we are proud to announce our continued commitment to fostering excellence and education within the wine, spirits, and hospitality industries.

“It is with great pleasure that we take ownership of the UK Sommelier of the Year Competition. This prestigious event has long celebrated the talents and expertise of sommeliers across the UK, and we are excited to continue its legacy by supporting and promoting the sommelier profession.

“The IWSC already has a strong link with sommeliers, and this new acquisition will strengthen our relationship with them while ensuring we continue to support new talents, who are the future of our industry.”

UK Sommelier Academy president Nicolas Clerc said the acquisition represented a new chapter in the history of the prestigious award.

He added: “On behalf of the UK Sommelier Academy, the Association of Sommellerie internationale (ASI) arm in the UK, we would like to thank The Caterer and the Jacobs Media group for many years of successful partnership on delivering the UK Sommelier of the Year competition.

“There is a new chapter ahead in our partnership with IWSC, who we are very excited to partnering with.

“The IWSC and Christelle Guibert have been a real supporter for the sommellerie community in the UK for many years, and have been the strongest supporters of the Academy to date.

“The board and I are delighted of the potential of this collaboration and we are looking very much forward to celebrate our new UK Sommelier of the Year 2024 toward the end of the year.”