ASI Boot Camp Singapore

In a follow-up conversation with NZ Sommeliers founder Celia Hay, Karan Patyal took the opportunity to reflect on his recent bootcamp experience in Singapore.

What surprised you the most about the ASI Singapore Sommelier Bootcamp?

Although the whole bootcamp was filled with knowledge and tips from the world's best. The most surprising was to get to know how the judges score you on the service and blind tasting. Soren Polonius who is founder of the Swedish National sommelier team and trains sommeliers for the competition, along with Marc Almert, best sommelier of the world 2019, shared the insight on things to do and what not to do during the competition.

For example, if the bottle is standing up on the station do not use the cradle to carry the wine,  only use it if the wine is lying down. Tips on time management were really important, such as on how to move around the table, show urgency and always be prepared for the next task or questions from the judges.

For the blind wine tasting, we had multiple sessions with Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine and trade experts. Each session came with a lot of tips from the experts - for example, eliminating eliminating grape varieties first, then picking the best possible which matches your tasting notes and how to be more confident on tasting the wines.

What sessions did you find the most insightful/valuable to you on a personal level?

For me, the blind tasting sessions were priceless. To be able to sit with the world’s best sommeliers and taste wines blind alongside them was an incredible experience. Everyone had their own way to navigate, taste and make the final conclusion on the wine.

I feel we were all very fortunate to have sessions with different tutors, which allowed us to learn various tasting approaches. For example, Masters of Wine tend to focus on a different tasting grid compared to Master Sommeliers, and ASI uses its own grid, which I believe is a blend of both.

Some of the tips I picked up include focusing on acidity and texture, and always having your IIT (Instant In-Front Theory) ready just in case on the day you are not able to smell anything on the wine.

Another interesting trick is to grab a window seat so you can use natural light to better observe the wine’s colour. Riper wines in sparkling styles often have lower levels of dosage. Practice with a similar pen to the one you'll use during the exam, so you improve your handwriting speed while writing the blind wine tasting notes and always taste under the clock.

How will you apply the ASI Singapore Sommelier Bootcamp experience to advance your own career?

The Bootcamp was packed with knowledge and insights from some of the world’s best sommeliers and tutors. As I sat down and reflected on the experience, I realised just how much I had picked up - from the schedule, wine list, tasting grid, and sake, to water, the importance of spirits and digestifs, consistency, and the drive to always improve.

This Bootcamp has definitely motivated me to continue learning and to grow my skills as a sommelier, while also applying them in my working environment. I’d like to share my experience with as many fellow sommeliers as possible and encourage them to follow ASI, which offers a wealth of research and resources on its website.

I’ll now be preparing for the ASI Diploma and upcoming competitions.