Want to become the best sommelier in the world? You need to train like an Olympian

I used to be a sommelier. And for a very brief moment in time, I was one of those sommeliers that worked in Mayfair and wore a tailored wool suit, and regularly opened wines that cost more than my monthly paycheck.

The whole endeavour to be part of that world – that seemingly austere, almost impenetrable world – was a sort of personal test.

I wanted to know if I could walk the walk, do the hours, thrive under the intense scrutiny of money and prestige, but also, of such incredible knowledge and skill.

And while I was able to hold my nerve, and to walk the walk to a certain extent, my time in that world was ultimately cut short by Covid.

But, in that brief moment, it had become painfully clear to me that I lacked the pure drive, ambition and grit to be a truly great sommelier.

It didn’t matter if you could do the hours and take the scrutiny; you needed something far more to make it to the top.

And to be clear, I was working extensive hours, was part of study groups, did weekly team presentations, and spent most of my down time at tastings and masterclasses.

But in all honesty, this was just the tip of the iceberg.

And while my sommelier career wound down, I remained close enough to watch what came next.

Friends and former colleagues threw themselves into the circuit: studying, exams, tastings, competitions. I watched curiously from the sidelines as they prepared, sometimes unravelled under the pressure, but always picked themselves up and kept on going.

Perhaps it is unfair to say this, but it felt as if their diligence and passion began to morph into something closer to obsession.

Even when exhausted, defeated, they would not, or could not stop.

Best Sommelier in the World

Where does that obsession lead you?

To the Best Sommelier of the World competition.

And this year, in November, it will be held in Lisbon.

There will be 72 of the finest sommeliers from around the world battling it out over a gruelling four days of rigorous knowledge testing, and blind tasting, as well as service challenges played out in a faux-restaurant stage setting.

The 2026 candidate for the UK is Maria Boumpa, Head Sommelier of Da Terra restaurant, and the recent Best Sommelier of the UK winner.

Like some sort of voyeur, I want to look behind the curtain and gaze at the inner worlds of those who are setting out to summit – or have indeed summited – the tallest mountain their career can offer.

What does it take?

Maria, alongside her performance coach Simon Cox, allowed me in to see what it was all about.

Cox, a former professional rower and Olympic coach, had been enlisted in 2022 to help train the British candidates.

As Master Sommelier Nicolas Clerc points out, ‘this is the acknowledgement that, at this level, the competitor is more than a sommelier, they are an athlete like any other’.

I am not sure exactly what I was expecting, but there weren’t any tricks or high-level gadgets involved, just pure, methodical hard work.

Cox notes that whether it is for the Olympics or the Best Sommelier competition, you’re in the same world of high performance that demands the same stress testing and psychological conditioning.

I see that Simon acts as a lynch pin for Maria, bringing her world into tight orbit, alleviating any unnecessary stress, and becoming a sort of supportive membrane to keep her focused and stable in the face of unyielding pressure.

The life of a sommelier athlete

Maria, under Simon’s guidance, has created a relentless seven-day a week itinerary.

Alongside her 50-hour working week, there are tasting groups, masterclasses, service drills (run by her restaurant team), and events.

Sundays are her day of rest; no tastings, only studying. She works out twice a week, and has decided to give up drinking.

I question how she manages things like anxiety and sleep, she tells me that she sleeps excellently because she is simply so exhausted.

Cox also says that Maria is exceptionally driven and organised, knowing exactly what she needs to do to weather the course.

When I ask her what she has taken away from all of this, she tells me she has learned an enormous amount about herself – her capacity to learn, to be disciplined, and in the midst of it all, to detach from the feelings of being overwhelmed that can so easily suffocate you.

Female leadership

I spoke to Paz Levinson – the Argentine who was crowned Best Sommelier of the Americas, and Decanter’s regional chair for Argentina at the Decanter World Wine Awards – about her journey.

Like Maria, she was always studious, hungry for knowledge and had an ingrained ambitious edge; both women skied competitively when they were younger.

While working as a head sommelier in Buenos Aires, Paz simultaneously went on to graduate university, becoming a professor of literature, and then was crowned the Best Sommelier of Argentina in 2010.

I can’t help but wonder if she is actually otherworldly. I wondered what drove her to achieve so much?

She told me it was partly about visibility – especially as a woman.

‘You need to prove more. This was a way to show that I was committed and professional,’ she says.

The best of the best

It is impossible to talk about this competition without talking about Gerard Basset, the man who boasted the dizzying trifecta of Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and Best Sommelier in the World (2010).

So many of the great sommeliers studied or worked under him. Indeed, Paz Levinson travelled to the UK specifically for this experience.

Gerard, who was deeply loved by the sommelier community and entire wine trade, died in 2019. It was a real pleasure to talk to his wife, Nina Basset.

It was becoming clear to me that these competitions took a huge personal toll, not least on those closest to the competitors.

What was it like to be married to someone who consistently prioritised wine, study and competitions?

Nina says that she was able to accept it from day one, and that she never resented it, but instead admired Gerard’s passion and vision.

Perhaps it helped that Nina became inextricably bound with the wine world, setting up Hotel du Vin with Gerard in the mid-90s, often joining him at events and competitions with their son, Romané, strapped to her chest.

However, she acknowledges that Gerard didn’t get too involved with the day-to-day home chores, laughing at how people would joke, ‘Gerard looked after the wine and Nina looked after everything else’.

Determination and sacrifice

Not all relationships came out so unscathed by the demands of the competition circuit.

Indeed, Paz told me that when she decided to have children, she knew she had to give up competing at this level.

What struck me across every conversation was the warmth and camaraderie – the same fierce determination that drove these people forward seemed equally directed outward, toward their community and the next generation coming behind them.

They were all so appreciative of the support and guidance that they had received, that they were eager to find ways to give it back.

In the aftermath of it all, I asked Maria what she was looking forward to most.

She says she is just looking forward to relaxing, and maybe being able to enjoy a glass without analysing every part of it.