Siniša Lasan, the sommelier of Proto restaurant in Dubrovnik, won the 23rd National Sommelier Championship organized by the Croatian Sommelier Club, held on 24 and 25 November in the Westin Hotel in Zagreb. He prevailed over a field of 36 candidates from renowned Croatian restaurants and hotels. The finalists also included Ivan Jug, last year’s winner, and Marko Škarica (who won the 3rd place) from Draga di Lovrana restaurant.
The event was conducted in front of a large audience and in English. In the view of Franko Lukež, President of the Croatian Sommelier Club, this reflects more than just increasingly professional organization of the events. It is also an important step in preparing Lasan and the champions that will follow him for the larger stage: “We can see Siniša Lasan off to numerous international competitions that await him with confidence.”
Sommelier Sinisa Lasan has spent 15 years building his career in hospitality. His latest educational achievement was the completion of the Advanced Sommelier course from the Court of Master Sommeliers in January 2018. In 2015 he became among the very first Croatian sommeliers to acquire the international ASI Diploma.