Forty-five sommeliers are poised to battle it out in the second annual Sud de France Sommelier Competition, designed to promote the wines of Languedoc-Roussillon.

The entrants, including Arnaud Gouber of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and Rémi Cousin of The Fat Duck, will fight it out in the finals on 13 September at the Maison de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon.

The judging panel, chaired by Richard Bampfield MW, includes 2009 winner Romain Henry (ex-Maze), Frédéric Grappe of wine merchant Dynamic Vines, Tamlyn Currin of jancisrobinson.com and Sud de France ambassador-chef Bjorn Van der Horst of London’s East Side Inn.

The contest is part of the Sud de France Festival, an annual global trade and consumer promotion of food and wine from the region, this year being held in six countries.

The sommelier competition is one of four to be held this year, also including versions held in the US, Brazil and Mexico.

News item from Imbibe.com, 07-09-2010