Bruce Wallner named Ontario's top sommelier

Ontario's 2012 champion sommelier will compete in Halifax in September.

TORONTO—Bruce Wallner will be one of two Toronto wine experts going to Halifax to compete in the final competition to determine who is Canada’s top sommelier on Sept. 17–18.

Wallner topped 16 other contestants at The Fifth Grill and Terrace in Toronto this week to win the Best Ontario Sommelier Competition organized by the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS).

Will Predhomme, who is in charge of the wine cellar at Canoe restaurant in Toronto, was the 2010 winner of the Ontario competition and will also go to the national final in Halifax.

Wallner’s rewards for showing his prowess with a wine list at this year’s provincial competition include trips to Germany, California and Argentina.

Wallner had already demonstrated that he knows his stuff in a big way when he was certified as a Master Sommelier in London, England in 2009.

He was the first chef sommelier at Palazzo Versace luxury hotel in Australia and spent five years as chef sommelier for the Hotel du Vin in Birmingham, England.

After this he came to Toronto where, he was chef sommelier at Paese Ristorante before moving to Mideastro where he now holds the same position.

The CAPS competition in Toronto, which required contestants to demonstrate both an academic and practical knowledge of wine, included a demonstration of good wine service, a menu correction and a blind tasting.

Sixteen competitors started the event which was whittled down to four finalists.

Steve Robinson and Lucie Trepanier, both of Atelier restaurant in Ottawa, came second and third respectively, while Corey Ladouceur of Hockley Valley Resort was fourth.