SommiT is a gathering of food and wine professionals from within the hospitality industry. Attendees will include restaurant professionals both service and culinary, retail sales buyers and sellers, food and wine writers and broadcasters, hoteliers, wine importers and producers and their distributors.
The event includes discussion and debate with international authorities in many and varied areas of hospitality. SommiT features an experiential Wine and Food Synergy workshop developed in the US and distinctive as the only program of its kind to receive accreditation from the American Culinary Federation. There will be tastings featuring the VIP grapes/wines of this year’s event: Riesling and Grenache/ Garnacha.
*IN ADDITION to the events for professionals, SommiT has introduced an event for Ireland’s Food & Wine Enthusiasts. A promised window onto skills often considered secret! At time of writing. this year’s guests include:
• Winemakers, winegrowers from Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Austria and the USA
• Restaurant personalities from Ireland, the UK, USA, Canada
• Culinary educators from several Irish Universities
• Award winning international sommeliers…
The Irish Guild of Sommeliers (IGOS) are the organisers of SommiT – https://www.irishguildofsommeliers.ie/
A stellar cast of international industry professionals took part in 2022 Ireland. They included: Ken Forrester, Stellenbosch, South Africa; Todd Rushing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Gearoid Devaney, MS, London, UK; Mick O’Connell M.W. Dublin; Michael Quinn, SETU, Waterford; Marcella Giannasio, JW University, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; David Dennison, Waterford; Barbara Boyle MW, Dublin; Nina Bassett FIH, Hampshire, UK, and Elizabeth Cooper, ADV Cms, Fess Parker Winery, Los Olivos, CA, and Trish Rogers of The Zing Thing, all of whom participated either in person or via Google Meet.
Sunday 8th October, 2023 14:00 – 18:00
Venue: Waterford Medieval Museum & Wine Vault
On Sunday 8th October, 2023 at the historic Waterford Medieval Museum & Wine Vault, guests are being invited to take an inside look at the skills & expertise used in by those working in the hospitality industry. This unique event offers them the chance to chat oneon-one with sommeliers, chefs, service professionals, artisanal food and those working in the wine industry. This will be a tickets event with consumers paying €25 per person to participate. The event will offer the opportunity to sample local cuisine and an array of beverages, including wine to learn more about them.
Tickets are now on sale price €25.00 https://www.ticketsource.eu/booking/select/RdiEJKhzXNnT
SommiT PRO 23 Monday 9th & Tuesday 10th October, 2023
Time: 08:00 – 18:00
Venue: SETU University Campus, Cork Road, Waterford
Talks, workshops, tastings, that is the goal of SommiT 23, a gathering of international experts & professionals who will discuss an array of topics, all pertinent to those working in today’s hospitality industry in Ireland. This event is for hospitality professionals only with a target of 75 ticketed attendees (this number will increase on the Monday with the STAR wine list awards) Tickets for SommiT PRO are now on sale price €249.00 https://www.ticketsource.eu/booking/select/zMtUKuDeoITZ
Star Wine List
The Star Wine List is a global guide to great wine bars and wine restaurants operating in over thirty countries around the world. The company was founded in Stockholm in 2017 by Swedish publisher Krister Bengtssn and relies on the recommendations of wine professionals working in each country.
Star Wine List is also a media company and their objective is to tell stories about the world’s top wine lists through a network of communities in the world of wine in restaurants and wine bars. They also co-ordinate the Star Wine List of the Year Awards to acknowledge the world’s top wine lists and the teams behind them.
On Monday 9 th October 2023, Star Wine List we will come to Ireland for the first time to celebrate the best wine lists and the teams behind them for the first time at SommiT 23. All Irish restaurants and wine bars are now welcome to enter, free of charge.
Star Wine List judges the wine lists in several categories such as the Best Sparkling Wine List and Best By the Glass List. These categories are the same across all of the awards. They have commercial partners for certain categories, such as the Best Sparkling Wine List, which is sponsored by English Sparkling wine producer, Nytimber and the Austrian List sponsored by AWMB (Austrian Wine Marketing Board). The commercial partners are NEVER involved in the selections of finalists or winners, that is completely up to the independent jury panel.
All Irish restaurants and wine bars are welcome to enter, free of charge, in the categories listed below, and for the event the have selected an all-female top sommelier jury: Pascaline Lepeltier, Veronique Rivest, Julie Dupouy-Young and Heidi Mäkinen.
Grand Prix – The best list overall
Best Long List – For wine lists with more than 600 references
Best Medium-Sized List – 200-600 references
Best Short List – 200 references
Best Austrian Wine List, presented by Austrian Wine
Best Sparkling Wine List, presented by Nyetimber
Best California Wine List
Best By the Glass List
To register for the Star Wine List Awards in Ireland, click here
