Reeze Choi from China wins ASI Best Sommelier Asia & Pacific 2025

Rachel Nui

Reeze Choi from China wins ASI Best Sommelier Asia & Pacific 2025

ASI The Association de la Sommellerie Internationale the non-profit global governing body of sommellerie, announced the winner after 3 days of competitions and masterclasses in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

From the 14 contestants, including Suraj GC, representing New Zealand, 7 semi-finalists were chosen to go forward.

The tasks that formed the competition do vary from one competition to the next and the role of the ASI Contest Committee is to assess and come up with innovative tasks to test the skills of the sommeliers.

On the first day, all candidates completed a 90-minute theory exam followed by a blind tasting, identifying three red wines within six minutes.

Suraj prepares for the Blind Tasting and Theory

Later the wines were revealed as:

Catena Malbec 2022, Medonza, Argentina;
Telmo Rodriguez Al-Muvedre 2021, Alicante, Spain;
Bodegas Garzon Reserva Tannat 2023, Uruguay),

The candidates also did a full analysis of one wine, later revealed as a natural wine from Heinrich Roter Traminer Freyheit 2021, Burgenland, Austria

For the practical element, they were tasked with opening a half-bottle of Champagne for two guests in just three minutes.

From this series of assessments, seven candidates were selected to go forward.

Reeze Choi, China
Miyuki Morimoto, Japan
Ratmir Akhmetov, Kazakhstan
Yi Ying Yong, Malaysia
Celine Jung, Singapore
Jungmin An, South Korea
Patrick Chiu, Taiwan

Semi-finals - tasks included:

- Creating a food and beverage pairing for Malaysian chicken satay.

- Full Analysis Blind tasting of two wines and commenting on their commercial potential:

Quinta do Noval 2023, Douro, Portugal;
Richard Juhlin Blanc de Blanc (Chardonnay) non-alcoholic sparkling white wine, Vin de France.

- Aeration (not decanting) of a red wine for 4 guests.

- Candidates also had to identify 4 beverages in 4 black glasses - later revealed as: Negroni, Old Fashioned, Cosmopolitan, Gin & Tonic.

- Blind wine tasting 2: Donnhoff Schlossbockelheimer Riesling GG 2014, Nahe, Germany

Reeze Choi from China presents

The Final of the competition was live before an audience of sommeliers, presidents, supporters and guests. It included a series of tasks including to Identify images of Famous People and Places; blind tasting, presentation and decantation of a magnum of wine to 6 guests; Food and Wine pairing, Matching Appellations/Regions with Islands - Waiheke Island featured here and more.

Miyuki Morimoto from Japan presents

Winners Announced:

1st: Reeze Choi, China

Previously placed 3rd ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2023, ASI Diploma Gold 2020, ASI Bootcamp 2025 tutor

2nd: Yi Ying Yong, Malaysia

ASI Diploma Gold 2025, ASI Bootcamp 2025 participant

3rd: Ratmir Akhmetov, Kazakhstan

ASI Diploma Gold 2020, ASI Bootcamp 2025 participant

Following the competition, a gala dinner was held with 350 guests and the opportunity to celebrate together.

Presidents Table Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam Presidents Table China, Kenya, Thailand, Singapore

William Wouters, President of ASI speaking at the dinner:

“Watching this contest, is very rewarding, as it displays how the tireless work of our regional sommelier associations in partnership with ASI and its continuing desire to provide learning initiatives like the ASI Sommelier Guidelines, opportunities such as ASI Bootcamp and accreditations such as our ASI Certifications and ASI Diploma.”

President William and Malaysia president Ronald

And from the New Zealand delegation of Celia and Suraj, we awarded Reeze Choi a premium New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - Greywacke Wild to celebrate his success!

Many thanks to Ronald Binati and the dedicated team of 6 from the Malaysia Sommelier Association (https://somlay.org.my) who organised and hosted and entertained us for 4 days and their team of volunteers. For their committee, our thank you gift was Valli Pinot Noir Out of the Shadows 2016 from Waitaki and Quartz Reef Pinot Noir from Central Otago and Greywacke Wild.