Siam Winery, the producers of Monsoon Valley wines, held their fourth Wine Professional Challenge at the Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon, last week. This annual competition is a search for rising stars in the local wine industry, a means of showcasing the knowledge and skill of Thai wine experts, and a way of placing Thailand's name more firmly on the world wine map.

"We've always had the vision of establishing a strong wine culture in Thailand," said Kim Wachtveitl, Siam Winery's business manager. "This is the fourth year running we've held the Wine Professional Challenge. It's organised to strict international standards, and every year we've had excellent feedback from contestants, co-organisers and sponsors.

"Through this competition we are seeing our vision becoming a reality as we measure the increased knowledge of Thai wine professionals through the Wine Challenge's activities. At the same time, we're raising awareness of the wines of Thailand at home and abroad."

To be eligible for the challenge, applicants must be Thai nationals working in a hotel, restaurant or at wine retail business. They must know how to make purchasing decisions, create wine lists, arrange wine dinners, and make recommendations to customers on a daily basis; but the most important criterion for their selection is their passion and commitment to improving their knowledge of wine and the wine industry.

As Thailand continues to confirm its place on the international wine map, improving the standard of professionals in the Thai wine industry is vital, and this year, the Wine Professional Challenge is more challenging than ever. The wine knowledge and serving skill of the 20 contestants from all over the kingdom have been extensively tested.

"We see a growing number of applicants every year, and this shows that the number of Thais in the wine industry who are passionate about wine is increasing,"said Kim.

"In this year's challenge, we're grateful for the support we've had from Austrian Wine Marketing. They will fly the top three finalists to some of the superb wineries of Austria in June next year, with support from Austrian Airlines and the famous Riedel wine glass company."

The three challenging tests include an 80-question multiple choice test on wine knowledge; a 30-minute blind tasting of six wines to be identified by aroma, alcohol content, region of origin, grape variety and vintage, and finally, a 15-minute wine service challenge which includes pairing wines with food, the use of appropriate wine glasses for specific wines, answering guests' wine questions at the table, and serving wines correctly.

Siam Winery's management team has overseen the selection of the 20 finalists and all aspects of the challenges. The testing team includes Thailand's former Sommelier of the Year, a noted wine expert and a well-known wine writer in order to ensure the competition is run with fairness and professionalism. The test questions were prepared by a sommelier accredited by the American Sommelier Association.

After the day-long test and tasting, Yuthapichai Polnakoo, sommelier at Rossini's, Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit was declared the winner of the Wine Professional Challenge 2008. The first and second runners-up were Chaiyaporn Pantuwadeetorn, bartender at the Lobby Lounge of the Dusit Thani Bangkok; and Santi Pichayamarin, assistant restaurant manager of Siam@Siam Design Hotel and Spa.

The three winners can now look forward to an all-expenses paid trip to vineyards and wineries in Austria. Other prizes include some recently published international wine books, one of which will be Siam Winery's new Thai-language pocket guide to wine which will be released later this year.

The Wine Professional Challenge 2008 was held in conjunction with Bangkok Exhibition Services (BES), the Food & Beverage Association of Thailand (FBAT), Austrian Wine Marketing, Austrian Airlines and Riedel wine glasses.

Founded in 1986, Siam Winery is Southeast Asia's largest producer of premium wine and grape-based products, owning brands such as Monsoon Valley Wines, Spy Wine Cooler, Sabai Wine Spritzer, Fresco fruit-flavoured wines and imported wines brands such as Mont Clair, Kookaburra and Peter Vella.