You read about the Best Sommelier of India competition by the Sommelier Association of India, now meet the finalists who made it to the final five. What pushed these sommeliers over the finishing line?
The semi-finalists at the Best Sommelier of India 2025 were a diverse group. Based in different locations around the world (only Amber Deshmukh is based in India), each with varied qualifications and experience levels, they collectively represented the determination and ambition within the Indian sommelier community.
I spoke to them and listened to their stories, which I have encapsulated here.
Shiva Chaurasiya
Current job: Junior Sommelier, 67 Pall Mall Singapore
Current highest qualification: Certified Sommelier, CMS Europe, WSET Level 2 in Wines, Winner, Young Sommelier Olympiad 2020, ASI Certification Level 1 by ASI.
His story: Shiva comes from a vegetarian, teetotaller family and was very young when he was drawn to a career in hotel management. “It took time to convince my parents as no one in the family had tried this line before.” His first choice was a career as a chef, and then a chance webinar on wine intrigued him. “I knew nothing about wine, but I was highly motivated. I studied various resources and eventually ended up doing my Introductory Sommelier course by CMS. This was when I met Ronan Sayburn MS, who was head of wine for 67 Pall Mall. Later, I got in touch with him when I saw a vacancy had come up at the time of the 67 Pall Mall Singapore launch. I interviewed for the job, and two months later, got my offer letter and visa in hand. Here I am.”
Shiva expressed disappointment at not making it to the top three in the finals “My family knew how much I wanted to win this competition. But they comforted me ‘Be happy at what you achieved and you will do better next time!’”
Biggest learning: “Earlier, in India, I had interviewed for a prominent chain of Indian hotels, and during the interview process, my interviewer pointed out my lack of experience and laughed at my ambition of becoming a sommelier – that hurt. Had he not laughed at me, who knows, maybe I would not have reached where I am today.”
Next steps: Advanced Sommelier by CMS Europe in a year. “I want to be among the few to hold the certification in India. I also want to win the Best Sommelier in India competition and sharpen my sommelier knowledge and skills.”
Savio Cardoza
Current job: Head Sommelier, Atlantis The Royal, Dubai.
Current highest qualification: Certified Sommelier, CMS Americas, WSET Level 3.
His story: A Mumbai boy born in Kalyan, Maharashtra, Savio moved to Dubai in search of better career opportunities. His family had no connections to the hospitality industry, but “a chance aptitude test in school indicated I had a flair for hospitality, so I decided to give it a try.”
Savio has a Chilean wife and so divides his time between Chile and Dubai. “I have watched the Chilean wine industry grow at a great pace, and the rise of top wine personalities like Paz Levinson and Valeria Gamper in Argentina. I have always wanted to see India on the world stage, and now thanks to SAI and the ASI, it will be!”
Savio, a footballer in school, compares a team of sommeliers to a football team – “You need to be perfectly in sync and support one another. Especially with the market disadvantages in India. I would like to see all hotels and restaurants employ a sommelier – even if they have just 20 labels on their wine list.
“SAI is a great platform, and I feel gratitude for the opportunity to participate at world standards.”
Biggest learning: The camaraderie among the participants of the Best Sommelier of India competition was special, he adds. “We shared knowledge, compared notes, gave advice, and made friends. Not once did anyone say I am better, or I will win. A sommelier must always be humble and friendly. And versatile enough to handle tea, coffee, cocktails, and spirits – beyond only wine. I, for instance, did not know enough about tea, so I missed some points.”
“Indian sommeliers are not far behind in terms of knowledge, despite the difficulties of being a sommelier in India. I need to practice and watch the top sommeliers in the world. I need to build on my tasting skills so I can trust my instincts – with knowledge you tend to overthink sometimes. It is also important to work with multiple references to be an all-rounder.”
Next steps: He has attempted the Advanced Sommelier exam, CMS Americas twice, but narrowly missed passing. He wants to attempt it again in 2027.
Amber Deshmukh
Current job: Business development manager and sommelier, pan-India, Monika Alcobev.
Current highest qualification: Italian Wine Scholar, Wine Scholar Guild, WSET Level 2 in Spirits, Certified Sommelier, CMS Europe, BSc Wine Technology, 2nd runners-up Best Sommelier of India 2025 (SAI).
His story: A hospitality graduate, he admits that wine was not his main area of interest at first. But it drew him in gradually: a stint with a wine importer early in his career saw it become a passion. “I love talking about wine,” he says. Wine retail may not sound as attractive a job as being a sommelier, but he credits it as teaching him all he knows about wine.
Amber moved from WSET to CMS because he wanted to try something different. Early failure pushed him to try harder – and he perfected juggling his study/work schedule. “I would carry 850 flashcards in my pockets and revise on the suburban train en route to work or watch winemaking videos while eating… you have to find the time if you want to go further.” His mentors within Mumbai’s wine community played a major role in guiding him, he discloses.
His biggest regret is that his mother was not alive to see him do well in the finals. “When I passed my CMS Introductory Sommelier exam, I laid my certificate at her feet. My family is super happy at what I have achieved – without their support, I could never have come this far. I hope more Indian sommeliers take part in the next Best Sommelier of India competition – it’s such a great platform!”
Amber’s love for wine is so strong that his nickname for his daughter is DRC!
Next steps: The upcoming ASI Bootcamp, the CMS Advanced.
Pankaj Singh
Current job: Assistant Head Sommelier, The Arts Club, Dubai
Current highest qualification: Advanced Sommelier, CMS Europe, Certified Sake sommelier, WSET Level 3 in Wines, 1st Runner-up Best Sommelier of India 2025 (SAI).
His story: Born in the mountains, Pankaj always found similarities between the hills of his home and the rolling hills of Piedmont, and wondered why vines were not grown on India’s ancient mountain soils rather than on the plains.
Soon after he graduated from hotel management, he found his calling in wine after a chance visit to vineyards near Bangalore. “I loved the science behind viticulture, but there was not much learning at that point.” Recognising his passion, Pankaj’s family, especially his grandfather – have been his biggest cheerleaders. This motivated Pankaj to decide on a career as a sommelier, and he started his career in India before moving abroad. “I wanted to do something bigger, better than I could here.”
During a stint at the fine-dining restaurant Roberto’s in Dubai, he recalls the camaraderie within the 7-member strong team of sommeliers – they would often study and help one another. In September 2024, he joined The Arts Club in Dubai, joining a team of 14 sommeliers – the biggest in the Middle East, with an inventory of 20,000 bottles.
Like the others, Pankaj puts down his progress to the guidance he received from his mentors and he is happy to give back to the community. “I will return. It is my dream to represent India.” He adds, “Indians are smart. What the world takes 6 months to achieve, we can do in one. If we get the right guidance, we can be world beaters.”
Next Steps: The ASI Bootcamp. Pankaj is a CMS Master Sommelier candidate.
Jai Singh
Current job: Restaurant manager at Taverna Estia, a Michelin 2-star restaurant in Naples, Italy.
Current highest qualification: Best Sommelier of India 2025 (SAI), WSET Diploma student, Certified Sommelier, CMS Europe, Italian Wine Scholar.
His story: Jai Singh comes from a middle-class teetotalling family in Lucknow. “Alcohol was not permitted in the house,” he says, “My family believed the safest job was a government one, but I decided to join the luxury space in hospitality.” It was a tall ask, but Jai got his way: he was the only one among his siblings to study in an English medium school. He did his bachelor’s in hotel management and then moved to London to look for a job. Shortly after, he married his Italian wife, Paola, and moved to Italy. “My life changed in 2020 when I was laid off due to the pandemic. That’s when I decided to pursue my passion for wine and start studying.”
And thereby hangs a tale. “When we arrived in Corato in Puglia, a tiny town specializing in olive oil and wine production, it was October, and the smell of fermenting must was in the air. “Study of wine led me to understand the soul of wine – all these years I had merely served it without understanding its complexity.” Jai credits his wife for helping him in his studies, whether it is his WSET Diploma studies or the CMS Advanced Sommelier exams. “She helps me revise – be it with flashcards or blind tasting.”
His final goal has always been the Master Sommelier pin, but after winning the Best Sommelier of India competition, he realises he has a lot to accomplish first. This is why his first reaction to being declared the winner was a purely emotional one – he dropped to his knees and bent his forehead to the ground, “My first instinct was to give thanks. I was so grateful for the support I received – from my family, my friends, and my beloved motherland for giving me this precious award. Like the book The Alchemist, I believe it is a collective energy that leads us to success.”
Next steps: In March 2025 Jai will sit for the ASI Diploma in Milan, the Advanced Sommelier exam of the CMS Europe in May, the ASI Bootcamp in Singapore in July. Then will come the Best Sommelier of Asia and the Pacific contest in Kuala Lumpur in September. And the next year, the Best Sommelier of the World in Portugal in October 2026.
Images courtesy The Sommelier Association of India and the sommeliers’ personal libraries.
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