Uncorking their passion

The team was tutored by Shi Shaojie, a former sommelier who teaches about wine at Beijing Hospitality Institute. Shi taught a wine-tasting course in the freshman year, which sparked the interest of the trio in wine tasting and wine culture.

In preparation for the competition, Shi assigned them online homework during winter vacation and rehearsed the wine service process repeatedly before the finals. He also brought out some of his wine collection for the three budding experts to practice blind tasting.

Shi switched careers because he believed that there is a significant shortage of talented sommeliers in the Chinese market to meet demand. "I believe that being a teacher can make a better contribution to the industry," he says.

Shi emphasizes that being a sommelier is not a solo job, as sommeliers need to collaborate with servers and chefs. Although the wine service part is often done alone, it's essential to have strong teamwork skills. He believes that team competitions are an excellent opportunity for young practitioners to understand the importance of that.

Shi also believes that facing challenging situations, such as this competition, can help young people prepare for future experiences in life and work. "It can teach them to stay calm and composed when they encounter similar situations in the future," he says.

The trio's success in the competition can also be attributed to the extensive preparation process they underwent prior to the event, according to Shi. He emphasizes that they were given ample notice, which allowed them to effectively manage their time and set achievable goals for each stage of their preparation.

"Each year I teach hundreds of students, and only a few may end up working in the wine industry. But I hope at least they will learn something that can be useful in life, such as knowing how to select or taste wine," the 38-year-old says.

Shi says that the team's example can greatly stimulate students' enthusiasm for learning in this area, as he notes that all of his freshman students recently have been very motivated and working hard to learn the wine-tasting course, and some are eager to sign up for the second edition of the competition, which will be held in September.

Shi observes that, in recent years, there has been a surge in the number of bistros opening up in Beijing, which has led to a high demand for sommeliers.

"Most of the sommeliers are trained from servers, which may not fill the gap in the supply of sommeliers, and through this competition, more young people could be inspired to pursue this career path," Shi says.