It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to our panel of judges.

Sadly, Brian Julyan, who has been Head Judge of the Competition since its inauguration in 2007, was unable to travel to Lyon. The Committee was therefore delighted - and indeed relieved - when Stefan Neumann agreed at short notice to become Head Judge. At even more short notice, Tamás Czinki joined the panel of judges to reinstate the number to four.

We are certainly indebted to Stefan, Helga, Florent and Tamás for all their efforts often from early in the morning to late in the evening to ensure that the Semi-final and Final were seamless.

Marie Jones
International Vice-President
Chair, Jeunes Sommeliers Competition Committee

Photography by Mary Erhardy (maryerhardy.com)

Stefan Neumann
Maître Sommelier, Bailliage of Great Britain
Master Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe
Stefan joined the Michelin 2-star restaurant ‘Dinner by Heston Blumenthal’ in 2013. After 3 years at Heston’s flagship Michelin 3-star restaurant ‘The Fat Duck in Bray’ he was promoted to Head Sommelier in 2015 and since 2018 is Director of Wine for Dinner by Heston. In August 2017, Stefan became a Master Sommelier with the Court. Over the years, he has been a judge at various wine competitions, putting his expertise to practice searching for the best and most appropriate rating for wines … and Sommeliers. In 2021, Stefan founded his own wine consultancy to continue his work, passion and contribution to the world of wine.

Helga Schroeder
Maître Sommelier, Bailliage of Germany
Master Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe
Helga is the Court’s first female Master Sommelier from Germany. Over the years she has developed a diversified portfolio. With a long-standing experience both as a coach and a facilitator in the trade and hospitality business she has dedicated herself to professional hosting at presentations and to giving masterclasses. She is a sought-after consultant for wine-related businesses wishing to open new markets, to wineries wanting to develop their strategies and to hospitality venues looking for support and advice on purchasing issues.

Florent Martin
Échanson, Bailliage of France
Best Sommelier of France 2020
Florent joined the 5-star Peninsula Hotel in Paris in June 2021 as Head Sommelier previously having been at the George V. When he was 18 he moved to London where he spent a year at Claridge’s under the supervision of Chef Gordon Ramsay. Since 2010, he has pursued his passion for sommelier competitions. He is a member of the Association des Sommeliers de Paris and the Youth Committee of the Union de la Sommellerie Française (UDSF) as well as its Team France.

Tamás Czinki
Maître Sommelier, Bailliage of Hungary
Master Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe
Tamás is the first and currently only Hungarian Master Sommelier. He worked in the UK for seven years before moving back to his native Hungary to be able to share his knowledge and experience. When in the UK he worked at Northcote, a luxury hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant where he led a team of four sommeliers. Tamás has been judging Decanter World Wine Awards since 2017. He was Runner-up in the UK Best Sommelier Competition in 2018. Despite his achievements, he believes that knowledge of the wine world is a lifelong learning process.