Over 40 Food and Beverage Professionals in China applied for prestigious new award

SHANGHAI, AUGUST 12 – ASC Fine Wines, “China’s greatest fine wine importer” (Robert M. Parker, Jr.) and Penfolds are pleased to announce that Peter Teng is the winner of Penfolds China Sommelier Competition 2009. Peter Teng has been working as a resident sommelier at the Hilton Beijing Wangfujing over the last year.

As the exclusive importer and distributor of Penfolds wine in China, ASC Fine Wines was the co-host of this exciting event.

The aim of the Penfolds China Sommelier Competition is to promote the expertise of the food and beverage professionals and to encourage their mastery of wine knowledge. As the likely first competition of its kind in China, this event has come to its second year and this is a significant milestone of China’s wine industry.

The Penfolds China Sommelier Competition consisted of two rounds – the first round was a comprehensive written examination testing wine knowledge and knowledge of Penfolds; over 40 food and beverage professionals in China competed in this round.

After carefully reviewing these examinations, three Chinese wine experts were selected to advance to the next and final round.

The finalists of the Penfolds China Sommelier Competition 2009 were:

Peter Teng, resident sommelier of Beijing Hilton Hotel

Rachel Wang, wine educator of Join & Joy, Hangzhou

Yinhua Liao, chief sommelier of Shanghai Garden Hotel

The final round took place on Tuesday, August 4th at Exquisite Bocuse, Jin Jiang Tower in Shanghai. Co-judged by the Sommelier of Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant, Mr. Remon Van de Kerkhof, the three finalists partook in an evening of practical wine exercises – including blind tasting, decanting and food and wine service – testing their skills as a sommelier.

  
Yinhua Liao                                                     Peter Teng                                           Rachel Wang

The wines chosen for the competition included Penfolds RWT Barossa Shiraz 2001, Penfolds Bin 8 Cab. Shiraz, 2007, Penfolds Koonunga Hill Seventy Six Shiraz Cabernet 2006 and Penfolds Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2006 – and from there it was for them to show off their sommelier expertise.

The judges on the panel all represented the very best in the field of food and wine. In addition to Penfolds sommelier, Remon Van de Kerkhof, the panel also consisted of the following experts:

• Andy Tan, Fine Wines Consultant, ASC Fine Wines

• Chantal Chi, acclaimed wine writer

“Peter Teng’s tasting ability really impressed me. It was almost as if he had the tasting notes in front of himself. He described the wines exactly as I would describe them myself and not many people have this kind of ability,” said Remon Van de Kerkhof.

When being asked for comments about the competition, Peter said: “It is my pleasure to be involved in the Penfolds Sommelier Competition organized by ASC Fine Wines. On behalf of all the contestants I would like to thank ASC and Penfolds for offering such a marvelous opportunity for sommeliers in China. No doubt the honour is of great importance in my career in the industry.”

The winner of the competition, Peter Teng, will receive a wine education package sponsored by ASC Fine Wines and Penfolds as well as a week-long trip to Sanya including complimentary flights, 5-star accommodation and meals at a date of his liking.