
Why Baltic sommeliers are white hot

Latvia is world champion, Estonia is European champion and Lithuania has taken bronze in Europe. Sommeliers from the Baltic region are making a clean sweep of the most prestigious international competitions. How did they manage this feat? We asked the three winners – Raimonds Tomsons from Latvia, Mikk Parre from Estonia and Martynas Pravilonis from Lithuania – to divulge their secrets...
Good, better, ... Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are the rising stars of the top echelon of the international sommelier scene. Estonian Mikk Parre and his Lithuanian colleague Martynas Pravilonis made a statement with first and third place at the 2024 ASI European Championships. Meanwhile Latvian Raimonds Tomsons has held the title of ‘Best Sommelier of the World’ since 2023. These individual achievements are impressive enough given the enormous amount of preparation involved. Yet, collectively, the fact that the Baltic states of all places – which do not have any significant viticulture themselves – are home to such outstanding wine knowledge is astonishing. How have they been so successful? Where does the passion for wine that drives Parre, Pravilonis and Tomsons come from?

Stronger together
Raimonds Tomsons describes the immense spirit of optimism that you feel when you meet the three sommeliers as an "organic evolution". The magic word is cohesion. Although the Baltic states do not pursue a common strategy, they are on friendly terms. This is particularly evident in the somm scene, where other states are invited to national competitions. The ‘Best Baltic Sommelier’ competition has also been held since 2006. "All of us are pushing each other in a friendly way to become better professionals and sommeliers," says Martynas Pravilonis. Mikk Parre echoes that sentiment, talking of a "very tight-knit community who all support each other". This cooperative spirit and knowledge sharing spurs them to ever greater professional heights.

"It's great to see the international success of the Baltic countries – and that's what matters the most in the end!"
This positive energy has seen the small Baltic countries achieve great things. Perversely, the fact that these somms do not come from significant wine producing nations, seems to be an additional source of motivation. "Being from small countries with young wine markets, we are really eager to catch up with our bigger friends and that motivates us to work hard," Martynas Pravilonis explains. Mikk Parre notes that Baltic somms need to build up a broad knowledge of wine from all around the globe in order to embark on their chosen profession. Dream big, work hard.
New Baltic cuisine
The strong, self-confident somm scene in the Baltic states goes hand-in-hand with the development of an independent cuisine. Inspired by its Nordic neighbours, the focus is on seasonality and regional ingredients, and it is not uncommon to find discernible influences from France or Japan, especially in top restaurants. "Many Baltic chefs gather expertise from the finest restaurants in Europe and use this background to bring back traditional Baltic recipes with local ingredients and a modern twist," observes Raimonds Tomsons. It's a continuing evolution – and that's what makes both working as a sommelier and visiting these countries so exciting.

"We are beginning to explore our culinary history with Germanic, Nordic and Slavic influences."
Politicians also seem to have recognised this potential and, according to Pravilonis, are helping to financially support gastronomy in Lithuania. Internationally renowned guides such as Michelin and Falstaff are now awarding stars and forks in the Baltic states.

"A new Baltic cuisine is just emerging."
Hard work no hardship
What Mikk Parre, Martynas Pravilonis and Raimonds Tomsons also have in common is their enormous personal commitment and immense drive. "It is not an easy profession with long, late hours and intense work during peak seasons but I enjoy it. And if you enjoy doing something, then it's doesn't seem hard," says Pravilonis, who started out in breakfast service, before working in wine bars and stores and then trying his hand at competitions. Mikk Parre, too, became a sommelier more or less by accident. "I simply met the right people in this world". Infected by their enthusiasm, he decided to train as a sommelier. Although he admits: "It wasn't easy to convince my parents that what I was doing was actually a real job and a real career."

In addition to their full-time jobs, all three somms spent years on time-consuming preparations for exams and competitions. There are also their family and personal lives to juggle. Tomsons and Pravilonis both have four children and take their role as fathers very seriously, not to mention enjoy it!
How do they manage that? Are there more hours in the day in the Baltic states than elsewhere?

"It's crazy juggling it all," says Mikk Parre. All the sommeliers agree that the balancing act of work, competitions and private life is only possible if their family is behind it. Parre likes to combine visiting a wine region with holidays, "so you can combine work, fun and relaxation".
The fame that comes with prestigious victories attracts international attention and contracts. Somms can become their own brands, which can lead to challenges - both for them and their employer. It is not uncommon for top sommeliers to become self-employed consultants. However Raimonds Tomsons points out that with goodwill on both sides, it can be a win-win situation for both the employer and the somm. "You just have to be honest with each other, communicate openly and plan well," he advises.

Turning point
The unbridled drive gives the Baltic states a pioneering role in the international sommelier scene but what wine trends are they observing when they turn their eyes on their home countries? All three report a sparkling boom. Champagne and Prosecco are in particular demand, but customers are also increasingly drinking outside the box, such as sparkling wines from Hungary or Luxembourg. The era of heavy "alcoholic monsters" is over, is Martynas Pravilonis' conclusion. The focus is on lighter, fresher and more elegant reds, while low-intervention, organic and alcohol-free wines are also playing an increasingly important role. Natural wines meanwhile are more of a niche focus for millennials. In general, consumers are opening up to wine and want quality in their glass. "Estonia has long been a heavily beer and spirits country, but that is definitely changing," reports Mikk Parre. Something of a new era is dawning...
About the somms

LITHUANIA Martynas Pravilonis
ASI Best Sommelier of Europe 2024 – 3rd place
ASI Best Sommelier in the World 2019 – 4th place
Head Sommelier at HeJi Restaurant
Wine tips: "At the moment, I'm really excited about Portuguese wines from Vinhos Verdes, Bairrada and Dão regions. Also red wines from Burgenland and Kamptal in Austria, which is more known for its white wines."
"As a sommelier, you need to be open minded and curious!"

ESTONIA Mikk Parre
ASI Best Sommelier of Europe 2024 – 1st place
Best Sommelier of Estonia 2022 & 2023
Best Sommelier of the Baltics 2022
Wine tips: "One of my highlights that not many people are aware of are red wines from the island of Santorini in Greece, which are made from the Mavrotragano grape. Fresh but well-structured wines with a salty, savoury character that need a few years of ageing to show their full potential. Another recent discovery: unfortified wines from Madeira. Winemakers like Antonio Macanita are making fresh but taut and flavourful mineral whites - really cool!"
"First and foremost, a sommelier has have humanity and relatability. If you look at all the world champions, they are just like the rest of us: easygoing, down-to-earth people who you actually enjoy spending time with."

LATVIA Raimonds Tomsons
ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2023 – 1st place
ASI Best Sommelier of Europe 2017 – 1st place
WSET Diploma
Wine Director at Barents Wine Collectors
Wine tips: "I visited Slovenia for the first time last summer and I was fascinated by the quality of the wines, the indigenous grape varieties and the passion of the winemakers. I was also impressed by the vineyards in Sweden. There is a lot of potential here, especially in view of the future climatic changes.“
"A great sommelier is a skilled waiter who is also a great psychologist, being able to adapt their communication and service to each specific guest."
About ASI
Founded in 1969, the ‘Association de la Sommellerie Internationale’ (ASI) is the most important and renowned international sommelier association. It is based on three pillars of training and further education, an ASI examination programme to obtain the diploma and the prestigious competitions. Since its founding, he world's best sommelier has been chosen every three years.