Shangri-La sommelier to go to group championships

Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi’s head sommelier Eduardo Perez is to represent the hotel at two upcoming world Sommelier competitions.

Perez will first be competing at the Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts Best Sommelier Competition in August, before travelling to the Heidelberg Advanced Master Sommelier competition in Germany in September 2013.

Perez is one of 13 semi-finalists in Shangi-La’s group-wide competition. The competition is part of the operator’s five-day Shangri-La Wine Summit and will be judged by Gerard Basset, who was named World’s Best Sommelier in 2010.

Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri general manager Arbind K. Shrestha said: “It is our absolute pleasure to have Eduardo Perez with us as Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi’s head sommelier. We believe that his expertise and wealth of knowledge deserves prominent recognition.” 

Perez, of Mexican origin, joined Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi in January 2012 to run the overall administration of the hotel’s wine operations. He is also responsible for the success of the hotel’s wine dinners. Prior to joining the Shangri-La family, Perez accumulated extensive experience in wine tasting, having worked in New York, San Francisco, Barcelona, Mauritius, Madrid Seychelles, Doha and Dubai, and having undergone trainings from a three-Michelin star restaurant in Spain.