Sommeliers to head Down Under for 2017's The World's 50 Best Restaurants

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 01 December, 2016

The World's 50 Best Restaurants, the event which celebrates the best of global gastronomy, is being held in Australia.

Two notable firsts are being lined up for 2017's The World's 50 Best Restaurants, the event which celebrates the best of global gastronomy.

For the first time in the program's history it is being held in Australia - the second time it has left London - and 2017 will also mark the first time that sommeliers have been invited to take part.

Wine Australia will host the awards which will see the world's top sommeliers along with chefs and restaurateurs head down under to discover Australia's wine and food offering.

A programme of events and an awards ceremony is scheduled for April in Melbourne.

"This event presents a wonderful opportunity for us to engage with sommeliers who are at the top of their game and showcase the sophistication and diversity of Australian wine, alongside our unique produce," Andreas Clark, CEO, Wine Australia said.

"This will be the first time we have so many of the world's best and most influential sommeliers in the country at the same time. We look forward to immersing them in our dynamic wine culture and hope they walk away with a refreshed perspective and love of Australian wine."

Three UK restaurants made the list in 2016: The Ledbury, The Clove Club, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

As well as chefs and restaurateurs, Wine Australia will host 50 of the world's leading sommeliers, including sommeliers from The World's 50 Best Restaurants, the Best Sommelier in the World competition and top sommeliers in New Zealand and Australia.

Sommeliers invited to take part will participate in culinary program designed by Wine Australia, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

The trip will also include a visit to some of Australia's acclaimed wine regions to discover more about Australian wine and meet the winemakers.

An official wine partner of The World's 50 Best Restaurants, Wine Australia has headed up the selection of a panel of Australian wine experts to choose the wines being served across the program of events, including Franck Moreau, MS, wine writer Mike Bennie and Andrew Calliard, MW.

"The panel will play an important role using its expertise to ensure a range of our finest wines are presented at The World's 50 Best Restaurants' events. It is no small task to choose from so many fantastic Australian wines and each bottle will be carefully considered to match the style and menus being created for the events," Clark said.

William Drew, group editor of The World's 50 Best Restaurants, added: 'We could not be more delighted to be partnering with Wine Australia for The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2017 event program. Wine is a key aspect of the overall gastronomic experience and Australia boasts some of the finest wine producers in the world, so this collaboration makes perfect sense. We are also thrilled that Wine Australia will be welcoming many of the world's leading sommeliers to Melbourne and to our awards on 5 April."

The World's 50 Best Restaurants program will run from 1 to 8 April, 2017.

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