The Road to Canada’s Best Sommelier
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Ontario’s top sommeliers will compete for the provincial title on Nov. 16 at the Best Ontario Sommelier Competition (BOSC), hosted by CAPS Ontario. It’s part of a national network of regional competitions that helps identify contenders for Best Sommelier of Canada, with the next national championship taking place in Manitoba in 2027.
Earlier this month in Lisbon, 66 of the world’s finest sommeliers competed for the title of Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) Best Sommelier of the World. Among them was Montreal’s Joris Gutierrez Garcia, head sommelier at Moishes, who finished 11th. His road to that stage ran through Canada: Best Sommelier of Quebec, then Best Sommelier of Canada in 2023, then Best Sommelier of the Americas in 2025.
That climb began with a regional title, and this November, Ontario’s sommeliers will take their shot.
One pathway, coast to coast
CAPS is a national not-for-profit association founded in 1989 and affiliated with the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI). Its six regional chapters—Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia—connect sommeliers across the country through education, professional development and competition.
Regional competitions are a pathway to the next levels of competition, including Best Sommelier of Canada. The next national edition is set for 2027, hosted by CAPS Manitoba. The Canadian title can open the door to representing the country at ASI competitions in the Americas and on the world stage. Under BOSC’s published rules, however, winning the Ontario title does not guarantee a national nomination.
A sommelier who wins a regional title this cycle could be competing on the world stage within a few years.
A world-class field
Canada has a habit of punching above its weight here. Véronique Rivest, a two-time Best Sommelier of Canada, placed second at the ASI Best Sommelier of the World in 2013. Pier-Alexis Soulière, MS, took the national title in 2021. And Gutierrez Garcia’s continental win last year made him the reigning best sommelier in the Americas heading into Lisbon.
The regional rounds draw from the same deep talent pool. Recent Ontario champions include José Luis Fernández (2019), Justin Madol (2022) and Christian Perreault Hamel (2024), whose résumés include Langdon Hall, Don Alfonso 1890 and Harbour Sixty. Past winners often return as judges, raising the bar for each new class of competitors.
Perreault Hamel, co-founder of Pelican Wines Import and a CAPS Ontario board member, is technical director of BOSC 2026. The announced judging panel includes Véronique Rivest, Toni Weber, Joris Gutierrez Garcia and Carl Villeneuve Lepage. Sommelier and VinEquity founder Beverly Crandon will emcee.
The Ontario winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy courtesy of Masi Agricola. For Perreault Hamel, the rewards of competing reach well beyond the prizes.
“As a competitor, the biggest reward has always been the people; almost every competition introduced me to colleagues within the competitive circle who became friends,” he shares. “The prizes for the top finisher are genuinely useful—books, tastings, travel, and opportunities to continue learning. Strong results can bring visibility within the local wine community and open doors professionally. Perhaps the greatest opportunity is earning the chance to represent our province at the national competition and beyond.”
Cheer on the BOSC 2026 competitors
BOSC 2026, hosted by CAPS Ontario, takes place Monday, Nov. 16, in Toronto. Preliminary theory, blind tasting and service exams run behind closed doors at the Vintage Conservatory. The public program begins at 3 p.m. at TIFF Lightbox, 350 King St. W., with a gala reception and evening graze by O&B, followed by the live championship final.
BOSC follows the international ASI format, so competitors can be tested on anything a working professional might face, from viticulture and world wine regions to spirits, sake, coffee, food pairing and salesmanship. The top scorers advance to a live final with a clean slate. There, tasks such as decanting, sparkling wine service, wine list correction and rapid beverage recognition all run against the clock. It is elegant, high-pressure theatre, and one of the clearest windows the public gets into elite service.
Guests can explore a walk-around tasting of international and local wines and sake, enjoy food throughout the evening and take part in a fundraising silent auction and 50/50 raffle. The winner’s announcement and celebration toast are scheduled to close the evening at 9 p.m. Tickets are $85 for CAPS members and $105 for non-members, with all proceeds supporting CAPS Ontario’s education programs and scholarships for aspiring sommeliers.
So come out, send your team, and encourage the talented sommelier on your floor to apply. Wherever you are in the country, watch for your own chapter’s competition as the road to the 2027 nationals takes shape. Find your chapter through CAPS National.
Canada produces sommeliers who can compete with anyone in the world. Let’s show up and cheer them on.
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