There were drinks all-round at The St. Regis Doha last night, as its sommelier Julian Biddulph was named Sommelier of the Year, sponsored by MMI.

At the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2012 presented by Du, judges said: “In a country where alcohol distribution is extremely controlled, Julian has challenged the system and pushed the limits to offer an unprecedented wine selection to Doha’s connoisseurs.”

Biddulph was also recognised at the Ritz-Carlton DIFC bash for his work during the pre-opening stage, having trained all of the hotel’s F&B team on wines. The sommelier also launched a Sommelier Club, where guests can come and taste and learn about different wines.

The sommelier said: “It was really amazing to hear all those amazing things in there. Everyone seemed to be from Dubai tonight, and I thought there was absolutely no way I could win, but then I did! It was amazing! It felt incredible!"

He added that the award was in part due to the help of the hotel owner: "It’s extremely difficult to be a sommelier here – you have a monopoly that controls the supply of wines around the country, but thanks to our hotel owner and St. Regis, I can bring in wines that no one else has – a lot of people travel in from Kuwait, Saudi and even further just to try our wines."

Maruthanayagam Periyasamy, sommelier at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City, was also highly commended at the 1920s-themed event.

 

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