Ketil Sauer Wins the First Master of Port Scandinavia
Ketil Sauer. Image: Toke Fiedler Terkildsen
At the final held at Hotel d’Angleterre in Copenhagen on October 20, Ketil Sauer from Denmark was announced as the winner of the first edition of the Master of Port Scandinavia.
During two days of theory, tasting and service tasks, Ketil showed strong knowledge about Port Wine, calm service, and clear communication. His overall performance placed him ahead of the other finalists.
“It has been a great experience and an honour to compete with so many talented sommeliers,” Ketil said after the result was announced. “Port Wine deserves more attention in our market, and this competition is a good way to show its quality and diversity.”
The other finalists were Heine Egelund (Denmark), Aleksander Iversen (Norway), Saara Alander (Finland) and Peter Hansen (Iceland). Aleksander Iversen and Peter Hansen placed second and third.
During the semi-finals, participants completed several tasks such as:
Identifying Port styles from pictures
A 20-question multiple choice test
Writing an essay about how to interest younger consumers in Port
Blind tasting of Vintage and 20-Year-Old Tawny Port
Pairing Ports with a three-course menu
In the final, Ketil and the other contestants had to perform practical service tasks, such as:
Serving and describing a 50-year-old Tawny Port to guests
Decanting and serving a Vintage Port
Answering questions about the Douro Valley and Port Wine history
The jury included Raimonds Tomsons, current Best Sommelier of the World, who represented the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP).
The event was organised by IVDP. The goal is to promote knowledge of Port Wine and its culture in Scandinavia.
As the first winner of this new competition, Ketil Sauer has set a strong example and brought the Silver Goblet home to Denmark.
