New York's 'best' sommelier lives in Philly
Justin Timsit, sommelier at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, won the grand prize in a national contest put on by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board.
The answer, of course, is 50 percent - just one of the thousands of fun wine facts bouncing through the head of Justin Timsit, sommelier at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse.
Second question: Who is the best sommelier in New York City? That would be Timsit, who last week won the grand prize in a national contest put on by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board. The winner was dubbed New York's best sommelier.
First, Timsit, 31, took a timed online quiz to compete against hundreds of sommeliers throughout the country and was one of the top 30 selected to compete in the final event, which included a blind tasting and written theory exam.
Having received top scores in both tests, Timsit advanced to the next level, competing against the other top two sommeliers selected in a service demonstration. Then he was grilled in front of a judging panel on obscure Austrian wine facts - sample: "Name the subregions of Styria from east to west."
"It was fun to beat New York at their own game," he said, conceding that he spends a lot of time in New York. He's studying for his final exam from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and every Monday he attends a tasting group at Eleven Madison Park.
His prize for winning the contest was a paid trip to the VieVinum festival in Vienna in June.
























