IN BRIEF
- Nikolai Haram Svorte wins the title of ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026 in Lisbon, consolidating the Nordic and Baltic axis.
- In the last four years, three winners have come from Northern Europe or the Baltics: Svorte, Raimonds Tomsons, and Arvid Rosengren.
- An Italian winner has been missing since 2004, when Enrico Bernardo won the competition.
- The ASI selected 20 semi-finalists from 66 competitors, with strong representation from the Nordic and Baltic countries.
- Svorte’s success marks significant growth for the Nordic and Baltic school in world sommellerie.
The ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026 speaks Norwegian. In Lisbon, after a week of trials, Nikolai Haram Svorte captured the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale title, entering the competition’s hall of fame. The final also featured France’s Pascaline Lepeltier and Japan’s Wataru Iwata. The Italian candidate, Francesco Cosci, distinguished himself with the ASI Diploma Gold, reaching the semi-finals of the global event.
The victory of the Norwegian Svorte consolidates a Nordic and Baltic axis that characterizes recent editions. In 2023, the title went to the Latvian Raimonds Tomsons; in 2016, the Swede Arvid Rosengren won. With Svorte, there are three champions from Northern Europe or the Baltics in the last four editions held.
In 2019, in Antwerp, the German Marc Almert prevailed in a final that also included Denmark’s Nina Højgaard Jensen and Latvia’s Raimonds Tomsons. And to find the last Italian, one must rewind the tape to 2004, when the winner was Enrico Bernardo. Participating for Italy are members of ASPI (Associazione della Sommellerie Professionale Italiana), which joined ASI in 2008 and is the only official Italian member within this international association.
A STRONG PRESENCE ALREADY FROM THE SEMI-FINALS
The result of the ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026 in Lisbon is therefore not an isolated case. From the initial 66 competitors, the ASI selected 20 semi-finalists. These included the Norwegian Svorte, the Dane Jonathan Gouveia, the Estonian Mikk Parre, the Lithuanian Martynas Pravilonis, and the Finn Dmitrii Frolov: five representatives from Nordic and Baltic countries. Svorte then reached the final and took the title.
The geography of winners and finalists suggests a solid trend, though not an exclusive dominance. Professionals from different areas continue to compete for the title, as demonstrated by France and Japan present in the 2026 final. However, between Sweden, Latvia, and Norway, Northern Europe has secured three victories since 2016, with Marc Almert’s Germany interrupting the sequence in 2019.
AN INDIVIDUAL TITLE, AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
In the message published after the final, the ASI celebrated Svorte and the other finalists, but also dedicated recognition to all 66 competitors who arrived in Lisbon. “Today, one name takes the title. But the goal belongs to an entire community,” the association wrote. A reminder of the collective dimension of a competition that tests knowledge, tasting, service, and the ability to represent the sommellerie of one’s country.
For Norway, Svorte’s success marks a new chapter in the competition’s history. For the international scene, it confirms the growth of a Nordic and Baltic school capable of consistently reaching the highest levels of world sommellerie.
