There is a change at the top of the Finnish Sommelier Association. Samuil Angelov, leader for the past six years, is handing over the presidency to Heidi Mäkinen MW. She is the fourth and the youngest (32 years) Master of Wine in Finland, a highly respected speaker and a popular judge in various international wine competitions.
Angelov, who intends to continue supporting the organization as a member of its council, indicated that two terms were enough: “I am very happy with our accomplishments in the last six years. Finland has risen to the core of the sommelier world making an impact on its global development, and we are now one of the leaders in this trade.”
Mäkinen gained her expertise working at Restaurant C in Tampere and the world’s wine mecca 67 Pall Mall in London. Currently, Mäkinen works for a Finnish wine importing company Viinitie: “I trained within the sommelier world both in Finland and London and had the privilege of being supported and helped by a number of industry professionals throughout my studies and career. As the new president of the Finnish Sommelier Association I hope to give back some of my own support to other professionals and those new to the industry.”
The association was founded in 2011 to replace the previous sommelier association and is the official representative of Finnish sommeliers in the international sommelier association ASI. The association’s membership is close to 350.