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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.

Really quick now: What is the maximum percentage of a single grape allowed in Wiener Gemischter Satz, that prized blend of Austrian wine?

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."

Timsit, who calls himself a visual learner who relies on flash cards for study, says he celebrated the win over sparkling wine. Austrian, of course. 

"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.