Last year’s runner-up described the feeling of taking the top honour this time as ‘mind-blowing’. Suraj GC , head sommelier for the Park Hyatt Hotel in Auckland ’s Wynyard Quarter , has been crowned New Zealand’s Sommelier of the Year for 2024. The NZ Sommeliers and Wine Professionals Association held its annual competition, the NZ Sommelier Awards, over the weekend.
Eleven Kiwi candidates, two guest sommeliers from Japan and another from Australia undertook a full day of challenges to demonstrate their skills and attempt to win the prestigious industry title. The judges – who included last year’s winner Angela Allen and Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas – were impressed by all the participants, but in the end Suraj GC proved himself worthy of being crowned Aotearoa’s top sommelier..