Oliver Carr Crowned Denmark’s Best Sommelier 2025
Congratulations to Oliver Carr on the title, and to Toke Fiedler Terkildsen and Thomas Vanhove on their podium finishes! Photo: Danny Samarov
Press Release
Copenhagen, 9 September 2025
The Danish Sommelier Association (DSF) is proud to announce that Oliver Carr has been named Denmark’s Best Sommelier 2025 after a full day of competition at Moltkes Palæ in Copenhagen on Monday, 8 September 2025.
Carr, who works at Restaurant Anton, impressed the judges with strong knowledge, precise technique, and calm under pressure in the live final, where the finalists showed blind tasting, service, and food-pairing skills.
The podium was completed by Toke Fiedler Terkildsen (Restaurant Domæne) in second and Thomas Vanhove (Geranium) in third.
Oliver Carr. Photo: Danny Samarov
After the final at Moltkes Palæ, Oliver Carr said the stage “is always challenging.” It is not the same as service in his own restaurant, where he knows the room and the flow. To bridge that gap, he said he brings “a little extra generosity” from Restaurant Anton so the judges feel “like guests at my table.”
Carr took an unusual path. He started in wine service, then studied viticulture and enology. “It gave me a lot of confidence when I went back to working as a sommelier,” he says. “I can speak with producers the way they like to speak, but I can also speak with my guests in a way they understand. “Making wine understandable is a big part of the job.”
Tasting remains his happy place. “I really like blind tasting,” he says. “The spirits flight was tough, but the wine flight was classic and high quality, a chance to assess the wines properly and enjoy the craft.”
Congratulations to Oliver Carr on the title, and to Toke Fiedler Terkildsen and Thomas Vanhove on their podium finishes!
Championship format
The day started with a theory test and a blind tasting, then an open sponsor tasting, and the live final in the afternoon.
“The level this year was incredibly high. All finalists showed great professionalism.” said Christian Aarø, President of the Danish Sommelier Association and conferencier (restaurateur behind Michelin-starred AOC, TRIO, and No. 2).
About the Danish Sommelier Championship (DM)
Hosted annually by the Danish Sommelier Association (Dansk Sommelier Forening, DSF), DM is Denmark’s premier competition for sommeliers.
Founded in 1989, DSF promotes sommelier excellence through tastings, masterclasses, training programs, and international engagement. As a member of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI), Denmark’s top sommeliers are connected to a global network.
Notable past competitors include:
Nina Højgaard Jensen, DM champion in 2017 and 2019, who placed 2nd at the ASI Best Sommelier of the World in 2019 and 2023.
Jonathan Gouveia, runner-up at DM 2020, named Best Sommelier in the Nordics in 2023, placed 4th at the ASI Best Sommelier of Europe, Middle East & Africa in 2024, and earned the Master Sommelier title in 2025.
