Christina Walther of Jeffrey's of Austin restaurant took top honors at the 2019 TexSom Best Sommelier Competition.
The annual contest takes place during TexSom, a nationally acclaimed wine education conference held at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas in Irving.
Walther faced stiff competition at the three-part wine examination, which focused on table service, blind tasting and theory knowledge. Second- and third-prize winners were also sommeliers from Jeffrey's of Austin. This year marked the first time in the competition's 15-year history that one restaurant swept all three prizes.
"It is a testament to the quality and standards of their wine team for these three individuals to place in our competition," says James Tidwell, who co-founded TexSom with fellow Master Sommelier, Drew Hendricks.
Besides title bragging rights, Walther will receive a scholarship of $2,500 from SOMMFoundation to be used for a Court of Master Sommeliers certification program. Runner-up Skyler Ring will receive a $1,500 scholarship, and third-place winner Austin Farina will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
The competition was part of a three-day conference that draws sommeliers and wine industry professionals from across the country for educational seminars led by the nation's top wine professionals, as well as wine authorities from around the world.
Tina Danze is a Dallas freelance writer.