The Academy of Food & Wine extends entry deadline for competition

UK Sommelier of the Year, sponsored by House of Champagne Piper-Heidsieck, seeks to test the product knowledge, serving ability and customer service skills of sommeliers and wine service professionals. The first round of the competition is a written questionnaire, followed by five regional finals, a London semi-final and a final. The winner will be announced at a Sommelier's Dinner on 28 April 2010, in front of an industry audience. The Academy has also announced that it will be one of the first organisations in the hospitality sector to use The Washington Mayfair, the new banqueting facilities at the Westbury Mayfair Hotel, London, for the final of the competition and the Sommelier's Dinner the same evening. Academy executive director Sophie Roberts-Brown said: "We are delighted to be using this fabulous facility for the final of the UK Sommelier of the Year 2010." "We've already received a lot of entries to the competition from a good mix of establishments, so it's likely to be another closely-fought final." Employers are invited to nominate a member of their staff for the competition by downloading an entry form at www.acfws.org or by calling the Academy on 020 8661 4646.