The Latvian Sommelier Association (LSA) has concluded its “Pommery Cup 2019,” which determines Latvia’s Best Sommelier. The Latvian Open Sommelier Championship was held in Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga on May 15. This year’s decisive winner: Kaspars Reitups, who will be representing Latvia in the A.S.I. Europe & Africa Best Sommelier Championship 2020 in Cyprus.
“The championship was really interesting and dynamic this year. The tasks were designed to push every participant to show their best. Three new candidates made it into the finals this year, proving that level of the Latvian and Baltic sommeliers is very high,” Kaspars Reitups said after his victory.
Every year LSA opens up the competition for Best Sommelier not just to Latvian participants, but also neighboring nations. This year’s event was enriched by Marko Mago (Estonia), Kristijonas Valančiūnas (Lithuania) and Aleksandr Meier (Ukraine’s 2019 Best Sommelier).