Master Sommelier Mark Guillaudeu (left) with Jim Campanini
Mark Guillaudeu, a member of the prestigious Court of Master Sommeliers, finished first runnerup in the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) Contest Best Sommelier of the Americas 2025, held Nov. 17-21 in Sonoma, CA.
Guillaudeu, who appeared on the Grapefully Yours Wine Podcast in January, bested all but one of the 16 national candidates over the intensive four-day competition, the winner being Canada’s Joris Gutierrez. Nicolas Reines of Colombia finished second runnerup, joining Guillaudeu and Gutierrez as the contest’s three finalists.
Each finalist was required to make a wine presentation to a panel of judges in the final segment of the four-day competition, using a language other than their native tongue. For Guillaudeu, who represented the United States, the sommelier tasks were conducted in French.
The seventh annual Best of Americas contest featured the top sommeliers from throughout the Western Hemisphere, each representing their homeland’s ASI national association. There are 63 national associations across the world, with ASI’s headquarters based in Paris.
The 16 candidates competing in Sonoma represented the following nations: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Guillaudeu, who is based in New York City, has hosted several wine seminars in Boston in recent years.
According to his bio on Court of Master Sommeliers website (www.mastersommeliers.org), Guillaudeu earned his WSET Diploma in 2016 and in 2019 was named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s ‘Best New Sommeliers’ as he entered the MW program, enjoying competitive successes along the way that culminated in winning the title “Best Sommelier USA” in June of 2022.
In February 2023 he represented the USA at the Concours Mondiale (World Championship) in Paris, becoming the first American in history to breach the semi-finals of the grueling competition. He joined the team at the Wrigley Mansion shortly after and earned his Master Sommelier Diploma that September.
To watch the finals of the ASI Best of Americas contest, click on the link below:
To watch Mark Guillaudeu’s interview on Grapefully Yours Wine Show with Jim Campanini, click on the photo below:
