Join WSG Academic Advisor Andrew Jefford as he talks to Raimonds Tomsons, the Best Sommelier of the World, 2023. This year was Tomson's fourth attempt: he first competed as Latvian candidate in 2010 and then again in 2016 (when he came seventh).  Third place in 2019 proved to be the perfect springboard for the first post-Covid competition, which took place in Februrary 2023 in Paris.  

Raimonds grew up in the days when Latvia was a part of the USSR.  He had little exposure to wine or restaurants as a child – but once he found his vocation, this tall, calm Baltic wine enthusiast has never looked back.  He’ll describe the highs and lows of the competition – from rising at 5 am to train through to the final triumph under the floodlights, with a live audience of 4,000 listening to every breath, every gulp, every pronunciation. He’ll also be talking about his views of sommellerie as a profession, and outlining the key skills he thinks a great sommelier should have.