The salons of the Raffles Hotel Le Royal recently played host to the much-anticipated competition for Cambodia’s best sommelier. After a brief hiatus due to the pandemic, the much-anticipated national event finally returned in 2023, showcasing the growing demand for wine experts in Cambodia.  

We were thrilled to have Eden Gnean, President of the Cambodia Sommelier Association and General Manager at Topaz Restaurants, answered our questions at this fantastic event where Thalias shine again with the podium welcoming our manager of Khéma Pasteur, Sok Nisong. 

We’d love to hear more about this competition 

This is the seventh year we’ve had the pleasure of organizing this incredible event. The best Sommelier competition was first held in 2013, and it was a huge success. I was absolutely thrilled to win the competition a few years ago at Topaz. Then, after the competition in Siem Reap, we had to pause all activity due to the pandemic. And the great news is that the association was just reformed in February this year, so we’re starting afresh! The standard is incredibly high, and the exams are extremely challenging, but the candidates are doing great. 

How many candidates did you have, were they all certified sommelier graduates? 

We had 14 amazing individuals in total! We’re excited to see more Cambodian nationals certified as sommeliers soon! But the great news is that some of them have already taken the WSET Level 2, which is the fantastic wine and spirits training course that CSA organized a few months ago. And it’s a real mix of people, with supervisors, bartenders, managers and F&B managers taking part. They’re all passionate about wine. 

Do you think Cambodia would benefit from having more sommelier? 

Absolutely! It’s a vital role with so much potential. It’s a truly humble profession, and I’m excited to see where it’ll go next. It’s our job to make sure that the wine we recommend to customers goes perfectly with the dish they’re eating, that it fits their budget, and that we pass on the message, the story of the winemaker, to them. We don’t have a sommelier school in Cambodia yet, but the Cambodia Sommelier Association is setting up certified courses in Cambodia, and we have an amazing plan for the next two years. We’re going to bring some international wine specialists to Cambodia, and we’re so excited about it! I’m absolutely thrilled to have such fantastic partners, sponsors and board members who are all working so hard. 

I’d also like to thank Thalias, who provided us with all the resources we need to make this event a roaring success. And I’d like to thank all the CSA board members, who worked tirelessly to ensure that we set a standard for Cambodia in this competition. We We were also delighted to welcome Mr Tommy Lam from Singapore. He’s the driving force behind many competitions in Southeast Asia and China. I think we has a fantastic combination. I would like to thank all the participants for their amazing efforts, commitment and courage. They have the confidence to take part in this incredible competition because it’s a great experience for them. I think the competition itself is a fantastic source of inspiration for them and encourages them to keep learning. Together with the association, we will be organizing other amazing activities in 2025, and we would like to thank the media and all those who supported this competition. 

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