Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc (M&C) recently crowned its Wine Ambassador of the Year, after three regional heats with 17 participants from the London hotels, and a very tough finals with the top six representatives.

The finals for the annual competition took place on 13 March 2019 in London at the head office of Bibendum, a UK-based wine, spirits and craft beer distributor.

The six finalists, comprising the winner and runner-up from each regional heat, were judged on eight different criteria. This included practical service of red and sparkling wine, blind tastings between different red and sparkling wines, general knowledge, wine list knowledge, food pairing, with discretionary additional points for positivity and passion for wine. The judges were representatives from M&C, Bibendum, and Coates & Seely, an English vineyard specialising in sparkling wines.

The unanimous winner of the day was Mr Yannick Barranco from Hard Days Night Hotel, who wowed the five judges at the finals with his technique, knowledge and passion for wine. His colleagues Ms Chloe Baker from Copthorne Cardiff and Mr Joseph Matos from Copthorne Gatwick came in runners-up for the competition.

To maximise the benefits of staff training and development, the three winners and other three finalists, Mr Scott Stevenson from Millennium Glasgow, Mr Antonio Roncolato from Millennium Gloucester, and Mr Christopher Huchon from Chelsea Harbour Hotel, will embark on a wine educational visit to Nespoli, Italy.

The M&C Wine Ambassador of the Year initiative is in its fourth year and has seen many staff learn a great deal from being a part of the competition, as well as the training course initiative that was held earlier in the year. The initiative will move forward into its fifth year, with many thanks to the collective support from the hotels and Bibendum.