| Algonquin Sommelier Grad to Represent Canada! |
| Saturday, 30 September 2006 00:00 |
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Reprinted from the Ottawa Sun, Tuesday, September 26th, 2006. Top sommelier has vine futureBy Vic Harradine, for the Sun Veronique Rivest of Wakefield has recently been crowned Canada’s Best Sommelier in the inaugural 2006 competition held at the Institut du Tourisme et de l’Hotellerie du Quebec in Montreal.She will represent Canada at the World’s Best Sommelier competition in Barcelona, Spain in March 2007. The gruelling competition featured 37 esoteric questions on beer, wine and spirits followed by a blind tasting to identify wines. Competitors then had to spot and correct myriad arcane errors on a wine list. They next served jurors by matching wine and food; finally, another blind tasting. “The most difficult aspect of the competition is that it is timed. You must make decisions very quickly and be correct,” Rivest said. “With time to consider, it would be much easier for everyone. You also must compete in a language other than your mother tongue. Luckily, I have worked extensively in French and English. The world competition invokes the same rule.” Just like a grape vine, Veronique’s roots go deep in the world of wine. She was first smitten while living and studying in the wine region of Alsace, France. Upon returning to Canada she fashioned her world and her career around one concept — seek out and soak up every piece of knowledge concerning wine then share it in a friendly and unpretentious way. Effervescent and enthusiastic, Veronique chose three paths, not separate, but together. She was a server-sommelier, eventually taking on a full time role of manager and sommelier, at one of the capital region’s premiere dining establishments, Les Fougeres in Chelsea. She worked full time as an LCBO product knowledge consultant in Ottawa and as a professor — and former grad — in the Algonquin College Sommelier Certificate Program. What’s next for Veronique? Six months of intensive work preparing for the Worlds. She will need corporate sponsors, trips to international wine regions and extensive wine tastings at home and abroad. |