Apr. 2 – The Swiss-Italian sommelier Paolo Basso has been elected “Best Sommelier in the World” at the end of a three-day competition in Tokyo, attended by experts from 54 countries. Basso was born in Italy 47 years ago and is no stranger to awards of this type. In fact, Tokyo was Basso’s final against two other competitors, the Belgian Aristide Spies and the Canadian Véronique Rivest. Their test was to identify in twelve minutes four wines. In addition to the classics, including a Beaune Les Aigrots 1er Cru (Burgundy), the jury also selected an Indian wine (white Sula chenin), and one Israeli (Yarden Galilee Pinot Noir). Afterwards, Basso and his two rivals had to recognize in three minutes six liqueurs and spirits, or at least indicate their composition. Among the proposed drinks, there was a Japanese liquor made with tomato sauce, a Mexican liquor derived from hibiscus flower and an Estonian rum-based drink.
