The provincial winners “SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR” are known.

For the eleventh consecutive year, the firm MEYHUI, specialist in tableware, is organizing in collaboration with FOODPRINT and WINTERHALTER, leader in quality dishwashers, the election

“SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR”.

The election of the “Sommelier of the Year” is not a competition, but a recognition for the best sommelier of the year in the field who will be rewarded for his daily investment and his professionalism.

So we’re not talking about a competition but an election.
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
X Work in a Belgian restaurant.
X Have wine knowledge and professional experience.
X Have technical skills and communication skills.
X Master the technical composition of a wine list.
X Be guarantor for the management and value for money of this card.

How did we go about electing the finalists?

X Voting takes place on the website www.sommelieroftheyear.be
X Voters could choose one or more provinces
X The voter chooses from a preselection of sommeliers, the candidate he prefers and puts him in first position, the next in 2nd position and so on up to max. 5.
X If the selection of candidates was not to the taste of the consumer, he could propose his own candidate.
The system remains the same, this candidate replaces a candidate of the selection.
X There is only one limitation:

laureates from previous years can no longer be proposed .:
Pieter Verheyden -2010 (Hof van Cleve),
Joachim Boudens -2011 (Hertog Jan)
tied Andy De Brouwer - 2012 (Les Eleveurs) and
Fabrice D’Hulster - 2012 (Sea Grill)
Kris Lismont- 2013 (Ambrozijn restaurant, now Mondevino),
Bart Lamon - 2014 (Le Chateau du Mylord),
Yannick Dehandschutter - 2015 (Sir Kwinten),
Mathieu Vanneste - 2016 (Hof van Cleve),
tied Gianluca DI TARANTO - 2017 (The Jane),
Cédric THOMAS - 2017 (La Grappe d'or),
Pieter FRAEYMAN - 2018 (Vinto)
and tied Sanne Dirx - 2019 (Cuchara) and

Antoine Dubois - 2019 (Hostellerie Gilain)Over 6000 voices!
Both gourmets and professionals voted and thus designated the winners by province.

You will find the list of the three finalists by province, as well as the winners who can proudly bear the title of "Sommelier of the Year" of their province.
The Sommelier of the Year is chosen from among the provincial winners by a culinary jury made up of: Former national winners, regional winners of the year, Guido Francque, Joachim Boudens, Gido Vanimschoot, Frank Desmedt, Wim Van Assche, Marina Stoop , Baudouin Meyhui, Jan Buytaert and Peyo Lissarrague.

The finalists were subjected to a foodpairing knowledge test.
Wines and glasses were tested.
This test determines the provincial winner as well as the national.
Here are the three finalists by province, with the winner in red: It is during the running of the Premier Chef de Belgique and Premier Maître d'Hôtel de Belgique of the Club Prosper Montagné on March 9, 2020 that the national winner of the Sommelier of the Year 2020 and the winning Wine Lady of the Year 2020 will be revealed.

2020 PROVINCIAL WINNERS

Tom SMET Beaver Beveren-Leie West Flanders
Tom IEVEN Hof van Cleve Kruisem East Flanders
Sepideh SEDAGHATNIA Divin by Sepi Antwerpen Antwerp
Yaron BAETEN De Mijlpaal Tongeren Limburg
Tom DILLEMANS Arenberg Heverlee Flemish Brabant
Panagiotis KOKALAS Wine in the City | Jette Brussels
Daniele STICCA Au Tour du Vin Eghezee Namur
Gaetan POELS Divino Gusto Nivelles Brabant Wallon
Nadia ZIOUI the Awakening of the Senses Montigny-le-Tileul Hainaut
Olivia SAUVAGE La Fleur de Thym Houffalize Luxembourg
Alexandre BEMELMANS The Villa des Bégards Embourg Liège

Tritan crystal glass represents: a low CO2 and ecological footprint, a glass of purity and continuous shine, incomparable solidity, perfect resistance to dishwasher, lead and barium free, a product made in Germany, in Europe certified in accordance with ISO 14001: 2004 and ISO 14040: 2009 concerning the environment and the ecological profile, a special layer of protection against scratches, which reinforces glass.
Thanks to the TRITAN PROTECT, the foot is even more solid.
The firm was founded in 1918 by the late Valère Meyhui, a traditional Courtraisian wholesaler from the 1920s and 1940s.
Oriented towards Flanders, the sale was mainly based on Belgian products.
The 1944 bombings on Kortrijk completely destroyed the buildings.
Son Carl Meyhui restarted a few months later.
He rents 300 m2 at the Damkaai along the Lys.
From the 1950s, great economic changes transformed society.
The Belgian market has opened up to foreign products thanks to the BENELUX and then to the C.E.E.
Infrastructure and transport have improved and distribution is becoming national.
The MEYHUI firm follows this movement and quickly specializes on the national level.
Today it is the exclusive importer of many world famous foreign brands.
After numerous expansions at Damkaai, in 1973, it was decided to build in the industrial estate of KortrijkHeule.
The current total surface is 35,000 m2, of which 10,000 m2 with palletized stores and 1,000 m2 of offices. The old stores in the center of Kortrijk are transformed into exhibition halls.
They allow the exhibition of the 30 exclusive brands on an area of 4,000 m2.
Retail trade, wholesale Horeca and supermarkets are delivered directly from the distribution center in Heule.
Maximum customer service is guaranteed.
The Meyhui firm is active not only in Begique, but also in France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The “Sommelier of the Year” election is organized by the firm MEYHUI in collaboration with SCHOTT ZWIESEL, which is part of the German group SCHOTT, with its 2000 employees the largest European manufacturer of stemware.