Association de la Sommellerie Internationale 🌍

🍷📚 The ASI 2026 exam season is officially starting, offering sommeliers and future sommeliers several pathways to grow, learn, and gain international recognition. 🌍✨ 🗓️ What’s on the calendar this year? • 🥇 ASI Diploma – 9 March 2026 • 🌱 ASI Prep (NEW!) – available from February 2026 • 📝 ASI Certification 1 – available in 2026 • 🚀 ASI Certification 2 – available from early September 2026 Whether you’re taking your first step into sommellerie or aiming to advance your professional credentials, ASI exams offer a structured, globally recognised education pathway — all organised through your national sommelier association. 👉 Interested in sitting one of the ASI exams? 📩 Contact your national sommelier association for registration details and local exam schedules. 🔗 Full details on exams, rules & pathways: 👉 /exams/ Your ASI journey starts — or continues — here. 🍾✨ #ASISomms #ASIExams #SommelierLife #WineEducation #WineProfessionals #ASIDiploma #ASICertification #ASIPrep #HospitalityCareers #GlobalSommelier

📣 The ASI Sommelier Guidelines have a new look! We’ve refined the structure for better flow, clarity, and readability — and we’re thrilled to announce that the Beer and Sake sections are now available in English, French, and Spanish. 🍺🍶 As beer and sake become integral parts of modern beverage programs, it’s more important than ever for sommeliers to expand their knowledge beyond wine. A huge thank you to the ASI Exams & Education Committee team — especially Sören — for their dedication and precision in shaping this updated edition. We would also like to extend a special thanks to our partner Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association for their expertise and guidance in building the sake grids! 📘 Explore the updated guidelines available online on ASI website under Education or following the link below: /education/grids-tutorials/ ! Elevate your beverage service! #ASISomms #ASIBestSomm #ASIEducation #ASIExamsandEducation #Sommeliers #ASIGuidelines #ASISommelierGuidelines #Wine #Beer #Sake #SommelierEducation #AssociationDeLaSommellerieInternationale

🚨 The ASI needs your support! 🚨 The Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) – the non-profit organisation uniting 75 national sommelier associations worldwide – has been the target of a serious cyberattack. Hackers compromised our email system and falsified invoices, diverting vital funds and putting our educational programs and competitions at risk. But our mission remains strong: 💪 Support and train the next generation of sommeliers 🌎 Bring our global community together through education and competitions To ensure the future of our flagship events: 📍 Best Sommelier of Asia & Pacific – Kuala Lumpur, September 2025 📍 Best Sommelier of the World – Portugal, October 2026 📍 Bootcamp Americas – tbc, 2026 …we have launched the Support ASI fundraising campaign on GoFundMe. 🙏 Every donation helps us continue our mission. ✨ Stand with us, support our sommeliers, and share this message. 🔗 Donate now: https://gofund.me/ef0cd625 (link also in bio) #SupportASI #Sommelier #ASI #ASISomms #ASIBestSomm #SupportSommeliers #WineCommunity #HospitalityProfessionals #WineEducation #Solidarity

🍇 Happy Pinot Grigio Day! 💚✨ May 17th celebrates the world's favourite crisp white! Founded by Cavit in 2017, this day honours a grape with medieval roots and global appeal. #PinotGrigioDay The Identity Crisis Grape 🎭 Same grape, two names! Pinot Gris (France) vs Pinot Grigio (Italy). A genetic mutation of Pinot Noir from Burgundy, this gray-blue grape is among the darkest used for white wine—hence "grigio" (gray). Two Styles 🍷 Italian: Light, crisp, citrus-driven, mineral. Stainless steel-fermented. French: Fuller-bodied, richer, honey & spice notes. More textured. Global Expressions 🌍 🇮🇹 Alto Adige: Alpine elegance! Crystalline purity, vibrant acidity—the premium benchmark 🇮🇹 Friuli: Rich, textured. Famous "Ramato" style (copper-hued, skin-contact) 🇮🇹 Veneto: Easy-drinking styles that made PG a global phenomenon 🇫🇷 Alsace: Full-bodied with honey, ginger, stone fruit. Grand Cru examples age beautifully. Late-harvest "Vendange Tardive" = world-class dessert wine! 🇺🇸 Oregon: Balance between Italian crispness & Alsatian richness 🇦🇺 Australia: Tasmania's fresh, vibrant styles 🇳🇿 New Zealand: Crisp, mineral-driven 🇩🇪 Germany: "Rülander"—elegant & food-friendly 🇭🇺 Hungary: "Szürkebarát" Iconic Bottles 🏆 Santa Margherita • Jermann • Livio Felluga • Alois Lageder • Trimbach • King Estate Pro Tips 🎯 ✓ Serve 7-10°C / 45-50°F ✓ Perfect with seafood, sushi, light pasta, goat cheese ✓ Italian: drink young; Alsace: ages 5-10+ years Challenge 📣 Taste Alto Adige vs. Alsace side-by-side—crisp & mineral vs. rich & honeyed! Your favourite style? 👇 #ASISomms #ASIBestSomm #PinotGrigioDay #PinotGrigio #PinotGris #AltoAdige #Friuli #Alsace #Sommelier #WineProfessional #WhiteWine #WineEducation 🍷💚

Road to Lisbon: meet your heroes 🤩🔥 Presenting the candidates who will contend for the title this October in Lisbon 🇵🇹 Emma Ziemann 🍷 @vinsinnigt Representing: Sweden 🇸🇪 @sommelierforeningen Sommelier, Lecturer, Wine consultant📍Ytterby, Sweden @Vinsinnigt @swesomm Identifies with: Riesling 🍇 I am versatile and transparent, balancing many things in life including my natural sweetness and sharp focus. Ebullient from first sip with great potential of evolving with age. 👏 Inspired by: Nina Jensen from Denmark ❤️ She is the person I really look up to. She has a beautiful balance between knowledge, skill but also humour and a warm sense of caring. 🤩 See you in October 😉 @escancoesdeportugal #ASISomms #ASIBestSomm #RoadtoLisbon2026 #ASIBestSommelier2026 #ASIBSW2026 #Portugal #Sommelier #Wine #SommelierContest #SommelierCompetition #SommLife

🍇✨ International Xynisteri Day ✨🍇 📍 Celebrated every year on May 15th Did you know that Cyprus’ flagship white grape variety now has its own international day? 🇨🇾🥂 Created by the Cyprus Sommelier Association @cysommsofficial , International Xynisteri Day celebrates one of the Mediterranean’s most exciting indigenous grapes - a variety deeply rooted in Cyprus’ history, culture, and terroir. 🌿 Why Xynisteri? Because this versatile grape continues to surprise wine lovers around the world: ✨Sparkling and Pet Nat ✨Fresh, crisp whites ✨ Lees-aged expressions ✨ Wild fermentations ✨ Oak-aged styles ✨ Orange wines ✨ Single-vineyard bottlings And of course… together with Mavro, it forms the legendary 🍷 Commandaria. ⛰️ Grown mainly in Cyprus’ limestone-rich soils and often at higher altitudes, Xynisteri produces wines with vibrant minerality and aromas of: 🍋 Lemon 🍑 Peach 🤍 White plum 🌰 Nuts & subtle spice (especially with oak ageing) 🍽️ Perfect pairings? Halloumi, grilled fish, calamari, meze, lemon chicken, souvlaki, and char-grilled lamb chops. And beyond wine, Xynisteri also contributes to the production of Cyprus’ traditional spirit: 🔥 Zivania. 💬 As more vertical tastings emerge, one thing becomes clear: Xynisteri is not only distinctive — it can age beautifully too. Raise a glass to Cyprus’ iconic white grape today! 🥂🇨🇾 #ASISomms #InternationalXynisteriDay #Xynisteri #CyprusWine #IndigenousGrapes #WineLovers #SommelierLife #MediterraneanWine #WineEducation #Commandaria #WineCulture #Cyprus #NaturalWine #OrangeWine #WineGeek #WineCommunity

🎧A Sommelier's Insight: Future and Now of Australia with Jane Lopes MS 🍷🇦🇺 There are moments in a wine career that quietly reshape everything, not through spectacle, but through a gradual realisation of what wine can truly represent. For Master Sommelier Jane Lopes, that moment opened the door to a career defined not just by technical mastery, but by a deeper exploration of wine as a meeting point of intellect, sensory experience, and human connection. 🤩 In this conversation, we move beyond the surface of Australian wine and into something far more compelling. Jane brings a perspective shaped by her own experiences in academia, working the floor of the world’s most influential dining rooms, and her work in Australia at the highest level of hospitality. 👏 What emerges is a reframing of a country often reduced to shorthand, 'sunshine in a bottle' , into something far more nuanced. We explore the idea of the future of Australia is not a rebrand, but a shift. From volume to value. From simplicity to site expression. From a singular identity to a mosaic of regions, varieties, and voices. It’s a conversation about perception, evolution, and the role sommeliers play in reshaping the narrative, one glass at a time.🍷 @janeymaxine 📺 Do not forget that you can now also watch the episodes on our YouTube channel! ▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/id3nFGB-wh8?si=mffj0BJBaowl37s4 🎧 Listen on podcast platforms: /episode/future-and-now-of-australia-with-jane-lopes--71634722 🔗 Links in bio to previous episodes! 😉 #ASISomms #ASIBestSomm #ASommeliersInsight #Sommelier #Wine #SommelierLife #HospitalityProfessionals #WineEducation

Road to Lisbon: meet your heroes 🤩🔥 Presenting the candidates who will contend for the title this October in Lisbon 🇵🇹 Pascaline Lepeltier 🍷 @pascalinelepeltier Representing: France 🇫🇷 @udsfsommelleriefrancaise Beverage Director at Chambers📍NYC, USA @chambers.nyc Identifies with: Chenin! 🍇 It is versatile, delicious, evident yet complex, very down to earth yet terroir driven, demanding but very rewarding, serious yet fun, is ecumenical and knows no border, has a long heritage yet will help to write the future. 👏 Inspired by: Every day at the restaurant my team is inspiring me ❤️ They are pushing me and it's such a joy to be able to grow with them! In the world of sommellerie I must say I still think a lot about Gérard Basset, I think he was an incredible person. I was so lucky to have spent some time with him. 🤩 See you in October 😉 @escancoesdeportugal #ASISomms #ASIBestSomm #RoadtoLisbon2026 #ASIBestSommelier2026 #ASIBSW2026 #Portugal #Sommelier #Wine #SommelierContest #SommelierCompetition #SommLife

Pairing Tuesdays 🍴🍷 Taiwan gastronomy 🇹🇼😋 Pairing tropical wines with complex Taiwanese flavors requires rethinking the rules—here's where local bottles and heritage cuisine create surprising harmony. 🥟 XIAOLONGBAO & GOLDEN MUSCAT Soup dumplings demand a wine that handles ginger, vinegar, and delicate pork. Golden Muscat's aromatic lychee notes complement the ginger, off-dry sweetness tames black vinegar's acidity, and the wine's light body won't overpower the broth. Tropical wine, dumpling magic. 🦐 THREE-CUP SHRIMP & BLACK QUEEN ROSÉ This basil-sesame oil-rice wine trinity needs a wine with personality. Black Queen rosé's fruity freshness cuts through the oil, light tannins handle the umami, and its own subtle sweetness bridges the caramelized soy sauce. Chill it down for night market vibes. 🐟 MILKFISH CONGEE & PLUM WINE Delicate rice porridge with this coastal staple pairs beautifully with semi-sweet plum wine. The wine's gentle acidity lifts the dish's subtle flavors, stone fruit notes enhance the fish's sweetness, and lower alcohol (10-12%) respects breakfast/brunch context. 🍜 BEEF NOODLE SOUP & KAOLIANG Taiwan's national dish meets its national spirit. Kaoliang's (sorghum baijiu) 58% fire and herbal complexity cut through the rich, star anise-spiced broth. Sip between bites—this is how locals do it. Not wine, but essential Taiwanese pairing knowledge. 🥘 BUDDHA JUMPS OVER THE WALL & LATE HARVEST MUSCAT This luxurious seafood-abalone stew needs a wine with weight. Sweet Muscat's honeyed richness matches the complexity, tropical aromatics complement dried seafood umami, and viscosity handles the gelatinous textures. 🍵 Oolong tea remains the ultimate pairing partner—but wine is finding its place! Tropical terroir, island soul. The guests of ASI General Assembly in Taipei later this month will share their feedback on the gastronomy of Taiwan 😉🇹🇼 #ASISomms #ASIPairingTuesdays #TaiwanWine #TaiwaneseCuisine #GoldenMuscat #Xiaolongbao #FoodAndWinePairing #NightMarketFood #AsianWine #SommLife #TerroirToTable #Kaoliang

Road to Lisbon: meet your heroes 🤩🔥 Presenting the candidates who will contend for the title this October in Lisbon 🇵🇹 Simona Česen🍷 @simonacesen Representing: Slovenia 🇸🇮 @sommelier_slovenije Head Sommelier at Wine bar Šuklje📍Ljubljana, Slovenia @winebarsuklje Identifies with: Garganega 🍇 Garganega doesn’t seek attention. At first, it feels subtle — citrus, almond, a hint of flowers — but with time it reveals depth, texture, and a quiet mineral backbone. It lives in the balance between drinkability and seriousness, never too much, never too little. What defines it is harmony and restraint. Fresh yet structured, elegant yet grounded, with a slight almond bitterness on the finish that gives it identity. It doesn’t try to dominate — it stays with you instead. Garganega is not about first impressions. It’s about what remains after. 👏 Inspired by: All the people ❤️ who love wine and share this passion for the wine with me! 🤩 See you in October 😉 @escancoesdeportugal #ASISomms #ASIBestSomm #RoadtoLisbon2026 #ASIBestSommelier2026 #ASIBSW2026 #Portugal #Sommelier #Wine #SommelierContest #SommelierCompetition #SommLife

🍇 Happy World Moscato Day! ✨🥂 May 9th celebrates one of the world's OLDEST grape families—Muscat, with over 3,000 years of history! From ancient Greece to medieval Italian monks, Moscato has captivated palates for millennia. #WorldMoscatoDay The Muscat Family 🌿 Over 200 varieties! The finest: Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (Moscato Bianco)—it actually tastes like grapes when you eat it fresh! Beyond Sweetness 🎭 Moscato ranges from bone-dry to fortified dessert wines, still to sparkling, white to pink to red. Incredibly versatile! Global Expressions 🌍 🇮🇹 Piedmont: Moscato d'Asti DOCG (lightly sparkling, 5-6% ABV, peach & orange blossom—the benchmark!), Asti Spumante, Alto Adige's rare Moscato Giallo & Rosa 🇫🇷 France: Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise (rich, honeyed), Muscat de Rivesaltes, Alsace Muscat Sec (DRY & aromatic!) 🇦🇺 Australia: Victoria's tropical fruit-forward styles 🇬🇷 Greece: Ancient Samos dessert Muscats 🇪🇸 Spain: Moscatel de Valencia & Málaga 🇵🇹 Portugal: Moscatel de Setúbal Iconic Bottles 🏆 Paolo Saracco • G.D. Vajra • Ceretto • Michele Chiarlo Nivole • La Spinetta Bricco Quaglia • Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise Pro Tips 🎯 ✓ Serve 7-10°C / 45-50°F ✓ Low alcohol (5-12% ABV) ✓ PERFECT with spicy Asian cuisine ✓ Pairs with blue cheese, foie gras, fruit tarts ✓ Drink young for maximum aromatics Challenge 📣 Try three styles: sweet sparkling Moscato d'Asti, dry Alsace Muscat, fortified Beaumes-de-Venise! What's YOUR favourite? 👇 #ASISomms #WorldMoscatoDay #Moscato #MoscatoDasti #Muscat #ItalianWine #Piedmont #Sommelier #WineProfessional #SweetWine #WineEducation #WineLovers

Road to Lisbon: meet your heroes 🤩🔥 Presenting the candidates who will contend for the title this October in Lisbon 🇵🇹 Ratmir Akhmetov🍷 @shudzor Representing: Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 @kaz_somm ASI Diploma Gold 🥇 Brand Activation Manager / Sommelier at Kazakhstan Wines and Spirits📍Almaty, Kazakhstan @kws.kz Identifies with: Palomino Fino 🍇 Because it's for professionals, it's complex, flexible, can be made in different styles, despite it looks simple at first glance. Palomino takes time, patience, can be serious and gastronomic, but can be fun and relaxing. 👏 Inspired by: ASI community ❤️ because it's you guys - you are the backbone of our bigger community, without you we cannot do absolutely anything, you are the core and the heart of this profession 🤩 See you in October 😉 @escancoesdeportugal #ASISomms #ASIBestSomm #RoadtoLisbon2026 #ASIBestSommelier2026 #ASIBSW2026 #Portugal #Sommelier #Wine #SommelierContest #SommelierCompetition #SommLife