“WORLD WIDE SOMMELIER ASSOCIATION”: THE WORLD CHAMPION OF SOMMELIER IS ONCE AGAIN ITALIAN - LUCA MARTINI FROM AREZZO HAS WON OVER 22 OPPONENTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND HAS TAKEN THE CROWN FROM LUCA GARDINI

The title of "World Champion Sommelier" once again went to an Italian and was awarded in London by the "World Wide Sommelier Association," headed by Franco Ricci. Luca Martini, from Arezzo, won, out of 22 opponents from around the world and took the crown from Luca Gardini. Martini, who won the Italian champion in 2009, is 32 years old, and works at Osteria da Giovanna in Arezzo.

Second place was a tie and went to Dennis Metz from Trieste and Jonathan Fillon from France. And the final test, staged at the prestigious Park Lane Sheraton Hotel, proved how complex the sommelier world has become. There were tests on not only wine pairings, but also recognizing beers and spirits and suggesting a cocktail.

"It is an immense satisfaction and an indescribable feeling”, said the newly crowned world champion, Luca Martini, “which has reached culmination after long and attentive preparation. Wine is my passion, I want to know everything about this product of nature - its history, its characteristics, and I discovered this wonderful world at an early age, working in my family’s restaurant. One must question one’s motives in order to grow personally and professionally and this title is the result of perseverance and great sacrifices, but the credit is not mine alone. I owe it to a team effort: achieving these results cannot be done alone, we need everyone, starting from the family, the association, the sommeliers, friends and my great teachers, whom I thank”.

Born in 1980, sommelier at the Osteria da Giovanna in Arezzo, starting from an early age Luca Martini has proved to have a natural talent to be a sommelier. Prior to entering the Olympus with yesterday’s the world champion victory, he already had a stellar curriculum: Best Sommelier in Italy in 2009; Best Sommelier in Tuscany in 2007 and again in 2007, semi-finalist in the national competition; winner of the 2008 Grand Prix Sagrantino di Montefalco and in 2009, the Palma d'Oro at the Grand Prix Excellentia in Perugia.