THE Malaysia Best Sommelier Championship (MBSC) 2022 boasted yet another robust dynamic of talented connoisseurs demonstrating their wine knowledge as they went head-to-head to bring home the title of the country’s top sommelier in the illustrious competition.
Hosted at The Gardens (St Giles Signature Hotel & Residences), Mid Valley City recently, the annual event was the playground for the competition’s nine celebrated participants – some of whom were returning to claim the win again.
This year’s winner Tan Chuan Ann said: “I feel truly blessed with the win because honestly the margin was small between myself and the rest of the candidates. It was a close contest where I thought everyone had a chance at winning.
“Past champions were really great in their performance as well and I am honoured to be sharing the same stage as them,” noted the Resort World Sentosa Singapore head sommelier.
“A lot of preparation was done before the competition – studying/taste-testing wines and the premise of the competition whenever I have pockets of free time before or after work,” he added, highlighting that the exchange of information among other sommelier friends proved to be helpful in raising his knowledge as well.
Winning notes
Interestingly, outside of competition Tan holds a deep interest in drinking tea.
“If I had to rank (my choice of drink), wine is first on the list of course, then tea and I have a whole range of beautiful Chinese tea collections that I am into, especially with the whole Gong fu brewing techniques,” he said.
“The latter has similar attributes and learning approaches to wine in some ways. For instance, understanding the complexity of the aroma and flavour notes. The difference is just that it is a non-alcoholic type of drink.
“There are other sort of same-same but different considerations to take note of like the tannins between wine and tea, but if you understand wine you can easily understand tea,” added Tan.
The sommelier then shared how his interest in his present profession grew: “I was working in an entirely different industry but then I thought why not pursue something that I am passionate about.”
“I started out studying about wine on my own with the help of the internet, then later enrolled into proper courses to master the art."
Qualifications aside, it was Tan’s experience travelling to wineries abroad that helped him bulk up his skills as a sommelier.
“The most memorable experience for me was when I decided to backpack and travel to New Zealand for this,” he said, adding that his first introduction into the industry started when he began to supply international wines locally.
This was not the first time Tan had participated in MBSC. In 2018, he was shortlisted as one of the finalists.
“Personally entering in wine competitions such as this can help validate what I have studied and access my mastery, making the practice and preparation more worthwhile.
“When you work in the F&B business, you genuinely have to deal with long hours, and being a sommelier is not just about having the love for drinking – you need to groom yourself with a lot of information.
“There is so much to explore and it can start just by picking up the aromatic wine bouquet that you can get from a glass it is poured into.
“If you are one who is passionate, very detail oriented and are curious enough to learn then this is the right profession for you,” noted Tan.
The sommelier also received the Cepas de Chile Trophy during the competition, presented by H.E. Diego Velasco-con Pilgrimm. It was the second time the presentation was done as a collaboration between The Sommelier Association of Malaysia and the Embassy of Chile to promote Chilean wines locally.
A Chilean night out
A special four-course food and wine dinner was hosted a day prior to the competition at Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, hosted by the collaborative partners to further entice diners with unforgettable pairings of Chile’s finest wine selections and fine dining fares.
A special mention would need to be put out towards the sommeliers who were present as the whole dinner party would not have been successful without their knowledge and advice in regards to the pairings.
Wine pairings for the starters were 2017 Casa Marin Sauvignon Gris and 2015 Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Merlot with smoked salmon (served with Ikura and T’lur Caviar) and truffled Unagi (served with nishiki rice), respectively.
One that simply sticks is the Merlot paired with the sweet and fairly-firmed texture of the Unagi appetiser option. This was only because the writer would not have gone for the dish if the pairing was not offered otherwise. Preference aside, the red wine did not necessarily overpower the fish dish but helped to balance the distinct flavour that Unagi is known to carry well.
Adding on to the excitement was of course having understood that Lapostolle itself is one of the oldest vineyards of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère in Chile, if not in the world. So to have the selection available makes for a pleasant start for the evening.
For the main course, a choice between beef and fish was offered and of course one would not opt out for the former when it comes to food & wine pairing.
The 2019 Undurraga T.H. Syrah Leyda was paired with the ‘Rossini’ steak dish (served with penne pasta and red wine sauce). The only let-down of the Italian inspired meal was probably that the pasta had the store bought texture but thank goodness for the affair, the focus was on the wine.
If you are familiar with the wine, you would know that it carries an intense spicy fragrance and leathery texture, which helps to push for an elevated dining experience especially when it is paired with a hearty steak dish.
Contrary to how one might think the strong profiles would clash, the flavours were able to maintain the momentum that you would expect a main course to offer.
The gush in the air at that hour was predominantly towards the pairing of the same wine selection with the alternative dish option – a grilled Chilean cod (served with fresh water prawn and scallops) dish. Unfortunately, the night called for elegance and one was not able to ask for a different plate of seconds for a taste.
Dessert on the other hand was pretty straightforward; chef’s selection of artisan les fromages which would translate into a (less than complete) cheese board with fruits and nuts. It was not necessarily the most memorable but the thin and crispy biscotti was delicious.
Certainly, the 2016 Balduzzi late Harvest was gracious enough to close our upscale dining experience. In fact, the drink itself can be served as dessert with earthy and vanilla-caramel like notes. Its golden yellow colour indeed helps to entice us enough for more, leaving a sweet impression of the whole soiree. – The Vibes, August 11, 2022
