Martin Sheehan-Stross of Michael Mina in San Francisco was named Best Young Sommelier in the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’ Young Sommeliers Competition presented by Moët & Chandon. He competed against eight other contestants in the national competition’s two-day finals on April 28 and 29 in Sonoma, CA.
Hosted annually by the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the world’s oldest and largest food and wine society, the annual competition tests soms on blind tasting ability, tableside wine service skills, and several areas of wine knowledge. The finals included a one-hour written test, a blind tasting test, and multiple service tests. Judges included former winners Desmond Echavarrie, MS, and Andrey Ivanov, as well as professional judges David Glancy, MS, Robert Bath, MS, Mary Gorman-McAdams, MW, Geoff Labitzke, MW, and Virginia Philip.
In addition to Sheehan-Stross, the 2016 Young Sommeliers contestants who participated in the national competition finals included:
Northeast Region
Morgan Harris, Aureole, NYC – Second Place
Mid-Atlantic Region
Steve Gullo, Paramour at the Wayne Hotel, PA – Third Place
South Central Region
Femi Oyediran, Charleston Place Hotel, SC
Southeast Region
Jill Davis, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Orlando, FL
Midwest Region
Miranda Elliot, Maple & Ash, Chicago
Southwest Region
Lindsay Thomas, Camerata at Paulie’s, Houson, TX
Far West Region
Jessica Waugh, Gordon Ramsay Steak, Las Vegas
Hawaii / Pacific Region
Jordan Painter, Young’s Market, Hawaii
Sheehan-Stross (shown above with Seth Box and Paige Pedersen of Moet & Chandon) was named the 2016 Best Young Sommelier at the awards ceremony and gala dinner at the Carriage House of the Charles Krug Winery in Napa, CA. In addition to cash, prizes included a scholarship to further his wine studies, Moët & Chandon Champagne, an educational trip to the Bordeaux wine region, and a five-year membership in both the U.S. Chaîne and the International Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.
Sheehan-Stross also receives an invitation to represent the U.S. and compete in the Chaîne’s International Young Sommeliers Competition to be held in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, this August. A number of past U.S. national winners and contestants have become Master Sommeliers, including Desmond Echavarrie.
