Shortlist for Hotelier's top sommelier revealed

As the clock ticks ever closer to the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2011, the shortlist for the top five contenders for Sommelier of the Year, sponsored by MMI, has been released.

Every hotel's sommelier has a tough job - having to stay on top of the latest trends in wine and what customers are asking for in a market that can often move very rapidly. Furthermore, they must be capable of matching the correct choice of wine to the dining requirements of customers, while making sure they can manage relationships and pricing strategies with key suppliers.

Our five candidates are all well versed in those skills, and the victor among them will be revealed in a glittering ceremony at the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel on October 19, an event to be attended by hundreds of the region's top hospitality professionals.

For more information about the awards judging process, click here. For table bookings, please email annie.chinoy@itp.com or for sponsorship enquiries please email dom@itp.com

To begin reading our list of the region's top sommeliers, click through to the next page.

Deepak Elangovan, sommelier, Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach

Maruthanayagam Periyasamy, bar captain and sommelier, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City

Rengarajan Rengasamy, sommelier, Armani Hotel Dubai

Haiyang Lu (Ocean), bar tender, Al Qasr Hotel, Madinat Jumeirah

Sydney Rathnayake, sommelier, Raffles Dubai