Remi Cousin, assistant head sommelier at The Fat Duck, scooped first place after demonstrating "exceptional skills and impressing the expert panel of judges with finely tuned and extensive knowledge". Second place in the competition was awarded to Jan Lukasz with Loic Avril taking third place. The competition, based on the Master Sommelier advanced examination, combined theory and service skills and challenged finalists to demonstrate composure, knowledge and tasting skills. Chair of judges Gerard Basset commented: "Becoming an accomplished sommelier is challenging – it takes time, commitment, continual learning and most of all, an enthusiasm for the role. It's a vocation which I relish, and therefore it was exciting to witness the outstanding talent and professionalism of our finalists and in particular, that displayed by Remi." Philip Evins, Bailli Délégué, of The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, added: "The skill of the sommelier is often under-rated, and therefore competitions such as these serve to improve understanding and appreciation of the dedication it requires to excel as a sommelier. It is only by nurturing and harnessing our young precocious talent that we can continue to produce the outstanding sommeliers who add so much to the front of house service in our better restaurants." As part of the competition prize, Cousin will enjoy a trip to Australia and also have the honour of representing Great Britain in the International Young Rôtisseurs Sommelier of the Year competition which takes place in Athens in September.