Back in 2006, the sommelier bug bit me and I became passionate about every aspect of the somm world: wine, spirits, sake, beer, tea, coffee, gastronomy. At that time, I also decided to register for a local sommelier competition. The instant gratification after winning the first step of this competition was incredible; all my hard work suddenly paid off. When the competition ended for me after the semi-final, I was devastated and had no network to support me. So, sadly, I quit competing, despite knowing I could become a really good candidate. But I committed myself to stay actively supportive in helping the next generation of restaurant, hotel and tourism professionals.

Equipped with the critical experience of working in the wine industry in North America and Europe for more than fifteen years now, and understanding the growing needs of this industry and how much personal sacrifice it takes to participate in sommelier competitions (and how obsessed we can be about them), I am launching a platform for every serious wine professional and sommelier from all over the world seeking perfection through continuous education as they pursue various types of accreditations (MS, MW, WSET, etc.) and training for competition: SOMM360. I would like to dedicate this first edition to the 22 sommeliers enrolled at The SOMM360 Bootcamp 2018: Martin Bruno, Mattia Cianca, Antoine