Fat Duck Sommelier scoops top wine award
The head sommelier of Heston Blumenthal’s molecular gastronomy restaurant in Bray has been awarded the Dom Perignon Award for Excellence at the Academy of Food and Wine’s Annual Awards for Excellence.
Isa Bal of The Fat Duck was presented with the award at today’s ceremony held in London’s Vintner’s Hall, after being announced as the runner-up in the UK Sommelier of the Year in April, and scooping the Best Sommelier in Europe title in May.
Roy Ackerman, restaurateur and president of ACFWS, said: “Over the past year Isa has shown complete dedication to the role of sommellerie. It’s vital to recognise those that are working hard to improve front-of-house service as it’s an often over-looked, but absolutely vital, area of the hospitality business. So often in the industry it’s chefs that gain the recognition, but we must remember that front-of-house staff are responsible for looking after our customers in the most direct way. Isa’s commitment is an example we hope others will follow in the future.”
The ACFWS award for Excellence is awarded each year to an outstanding personality in the UK’s hotel and catering industry, and along with all the other categories, rewards those individuals, companies and colleges that have raised the profile, standards and skills of front-of-house as a profession.
The other award winners are:
Company of the Year Award 2008
Winner: Jumeirah Hotel Group, Dubai
College of the Year Award 2008
Winner: Bournemouth & Poole College, Poole, Dorset
The Savoy Educational Trust Sommelier Scholarship 2008
Winner: Jade Koch, sommelier, Rex Whistler Restaurant at Tate Britain,
London SW1
The Philip Thornton Award
Winner: Lucy Rhyddid, a candidate from Coleg Powys, nominated by City &
Guilds
The Wines of Germany Travel Award
Winner: Anja Gottwald, sommelier, Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, Dornoch
The New Zealand Wine Travel Bursary
Winner: Jackson Watson, sommelier, Chez Bruce, London SW17
Matthew Clark California Travel Award
Winner: Agustin Trapero, Macdonald Randolph Hotel, Oxford
Honorary Fellowships for 2008
Recipients: Michael Gray, general manager, Hyatt Regency – the Churchill
Hotel, London W1; Duncan Palmer, managing director, The Langham, London
W1; Michael Druitt, non-executive chairman, Michael Druitt Vintners;
Daniel Pecorelli, managing director, Exclusive Hotels; Ken Wilkins,
brand ambassador, Champagne G.H. Mumm.
