The World’s Best Sommelier Is Decided in 40 Minutes. Preparing Takes Years.
Nikolai Haram Svorte won the world sommelier title in Lisbon. The final lasted 40 minutes, but reaching it required years of study, tasting and service.
Norway’s Nikolai Haram Svorte won the 2026 ASI Best Sommelier of the World contest in Lisbon, ahead of Pascaline Lepeltier of France and Wataru Iwata of Japan. Behind the title lies a competition that tests far more than blind tasting.
By TCJ 21 October 2026 · 6 min read
Nikolai Haram Svorte has been named the ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026 after a final that compressed years of preparation into approximately 40 minutes of tasting, service, pairing and decision-making on stage.
The Norwegian finished ahead of Pascaline Lepeltier, representing France, and Japan’s Wataru Iwata. They were the last three standing from 66 candidates after five days of competition in Lisbon.
What happened
The final took place on October 16 at the Coliseu dos Recreios before an audience of approximately 600 people and viewers following the livestream around the world.
Svorte became the first Norwegian to win the title. Lepeltier finished second, improving on her fourth place at the 2023 world contest in Paris, while Iwata placed third after finishing fifth in the previous edition.
This was the 18th edition of the competition organised by the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale. Lisbon hosted it for only the second time, 48 years after the 1978 contest won by Italy’s Giuseppe Vaccarini. India, Kenya, Lebanon and Moldova were represented for the first time in 2026.
How the competition works
Each candidate first has to earn the right to represent an ASI member association, normally through a national selection or championship. Arriving in Lisbon already meant that the competitors had passed through a domestic process.
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