New competition seeks to inspire and nurture talented young sommeliers from across the country, Li Yingxue reports.

Li Jingshi (right), Huang Nian'er (second right) and Jin Chenhao (third right) celebrate winning the first National Young Sommelier Service Skills Competition with their tutor and schoolmates. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Huang Nian'er, 22, and her two schoolmates, Jin Chenhao and Li Jingshi, have been practicing dance and performing onstage since their freshman year in 2019. As they prepared to graduate from college this summer, they found themselves back onstage once again.

However, this time they were not dancing, but rather serving wine. Despite the change in their performance, their dedication and hard work did not waver.

The trio, who have named themselves "Huang Jin Li" after a combination of their last names, aced the contest, ultimately being named the winners of the first National Young Sommelier Service Skills Competition.

Their participation not only brought them victory, but also opened up a new career path. Despite majoring in hospitality management at Beijing Hospitality Institute, they now see the possibility of becoming sommeliers in the future.

Huang recalls that, after the competition, jury head, Lyu Yang, who is, himself, a Master Sommelier, shared his own stories with them. "Learning from his career experience, I have a clear understanding of this job, which used to be more of a concept for me. His understanding of the service industry has made me think it's a meaningful career," Huang says.

Huang is set to begin her postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom in September, and the competition has inspired her to delve deeper into the world of wine. Although her previous knowledge about the libation was mostly gained through her previous internships and preparation for the competition, the event has sparked her interest in learning systematically about wine.

Jin practices wine tasting. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Previously, both Huang and Jin had worked at bars in Beijing, which gave them some exposure to the world of wine. However, the competition proved to be a turning point for both of them. In fact, Jin discovered his interest in sommelier services through the competition and is now actively seeking opportunities to join the field.

"Winning the competition was our goal, but we enjoyed the preparation process very much," Jin says. "It's a good memory for us, and for our four years of college study. We also forged a friendship during the competition."

The National Young Sommelier Service Skills Competition opened registration at the end of last year, and it soon garnered significant attention from major universities throughout the country, despite being the inaugural event.

A total of 83 universities and 161 teams, comprising 487 competitors, participated in the preliminary stage. Following two rounds of intense competition, the top 10 teams were chosen to progress to the semifinals, and only three teams made it to the final round.

Both the semifinals and final were held at Beijing Hospitality Institute at the end of March. The final competition consisted of six sections, including wine service, sales techniques, wine tasting and analysis, and blind tasting. The wine service section needed to be done in English, which also included serving baijiu (white liquor) and huangjiu (yellow rice wine).

The team of three excelled in each section and impressed the judges with their knowledge of wine, service experience and their fluent English, and won the championship as a result.

One of the judges, Dong Zhenxiang, the founder of the Peking roast duck restaurant chain Da Dong, praised the competition for its role in promoting the importance of sommeliers in the service industry.

He learns the art of wine service. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

He noted that, in the past, people tended to focus only on the taste of the wine, but in recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on refined dining and beverage service.

"This competition has played a significant role in demonstrating the importance of sommeliers, which can draw more attention from various sectors of the industry toward young sommeliers and encourage more professionals to fill the talent gap in this industry," Dong says.

Li says the competition helped her to discover her future direction during her senior year, a time when she felt most confused about her future career options.

"As a sommelier, when you recommend a wine to pair with a dish the guests have ordered and, after tasting the wine, they feel it's a good match, you can tell the happiness and satisfaction from their language and gestures, which is quite straightforward, and brings me a sense of accomplishment," she says.

The 22-year-old recalls that, during high school, she had the chance to spend the weekends in the library with scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as she used to dream of being a scientist herself.

The experience made her realize that her real interest is communicating with people, not lab tools, so she chose to study marketing in college.

The stage is another of her interests. Alongside dancing performances, she enjoys taking part in competitions. The wine service competition has opened her eyes, helping her realize that there are more certificates to gain and various competitions to take part in.

"The result is not the most important thing, what I cherish is the immersive experience of the competition," she says.

She believes that even failure can bring about valuable learning experiences and, after each competition, she takes time to review her performance and identify areas for improvement.

The team was tutored by Shi Shaojie, a former sommelier who teaches about wine at Beijing Hospitality Institute. Shi taught a wine-tasting course in the freshman year, which sparked the interest of the trio in wine tasting and wine culture.

Shi Shaojie, a teacher at Beijing Hospitality Institute, gives a lecture on wine tasting. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

In preparation for the competition, Shi assigned them online homework during winter vacation and rehearsed the wine service process repeatedly before the finals. He also brought out some of his wine collection for the three budding experts to practice blind tasting.

Shi switched careers because he believed that there is a significant shortage of talented sommeliers in the Chinese market to meet demand. "I believe that being a teacher can make a better contribution to the industry," he says.

Shi emphasizes that being a sommelier is not a solo job, as sommeliers need to collaborate with servers and chefs. Although the wine service part is often done alone, it's essential to have strong teamwork skills. He believes that team competitions are an excellent opportunity for young practitioners to understand the importance of that.

Shi also believes that facing challenging situations, such as this competition, can help young people prepare for future experiences in life and work. "It can teach them to stay calm and composed when they encounter similar situations in the future," he says.

The trio's success in the competition can also be attributed to the extensive preparation process they underwent prior to the event, according to Shi. He emphasizes that they were given ample notice, which allowed them to effectively manage their time and set achievable goals for each stage of their preparation.

"Each year I teach hundreds of students, and only a few may end up working in the wine industry. But I hope at least they will learn something that can be useful in life, such as knowing how to select or taste wine," the 38-year-old says.

Shi says that the team's example can greatly stimulate students' enthusiasm for learning in this area, as he notes that all of his freshman students recently have been very motivated and working hard to learn the wine-tasting course, and some are eager to sign up for the second edition of the competition, which will be held in September.

Shi observes that, in recent years, there has been a surge in the number of bistros opening up in Beijing, which has led to a high demand for sommeliers.

"Most of the sommeliers are trained from servers, which may not fill the gap in the supply of sommeliers, and through this competition, more young people could be inspired to pursue this career path," Shi says.

Contact the writer at liyingxue@chinadaily.com.cn