Nikolai Haram Svorte wins Best Sommelier of the World 2026
The 29-year-old Norwegian beat France's Pascaline Lepeltier and Japan's Wataru Iwata in a four-hour final in Lisbon, on his first attempt at the ASI's triennial world title.
Nikolai Haram Svorte, a 29-year-old Norwegian, was crowned ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026 on Friday 16 October at the Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon. Pascaline Lepeltier of France finished second and Wataru Iwata of Japan third.
It was Svorte's first attempt at the title, which the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) awards every three years. He succeeds Latvia's Raimonds Tomsons, who won in Paris in 2023. The week-long contest, hosted by the Associação dos Escanções de Portugal, opened with 66 candidates from ASI member associations; the 20 semi-finalists named on 14 October were cut to three on the eve of the final.
How Nikolai Haram Svorte won the final
A first attempt, a four-hour final and a Graham's 2003 decanted under theatre lights.
The final, presided over by Sweden's Andreas Larsson, the 2007 world champion, ran for more than four hours. The three finalists blind-tasted four wines, identified sake and aperitifs, paired five sparkling wines from five countries with a menu, and decanted and served Graham's 2003 Vintage Port.
Svorte has collected titles at a steady pace: Best Sommelier of Norway four years running, from 2023 to 2026, and Best Sommelier of the Nordics in 2025. He worked the floor at Speilsalen, the Michelin-starred restaurant of the Britannia Hotel in Trondheim. He now works in Oslo as product and sales manager at Remuage by Moestue, a champagne importer. After the final he told Luxe.net that he had been nervous and had simply tried to enjoy it.
Pascaline Lepeltier settles for second place
For France, the wait goes on. Lepeltier, a Master Sommelier since 2014 and a partner at Chambers in New York, won both Best Sommelier of France and Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2018. She finished fourth in Paris in 2023. “These four years of preparation have given me an enormous amount,” she told Un Œil en Salle. The last French winner is still Olivier Poussier, in 2000.
Iwata, born in Aichi prefecture in 1989, works at The Thousand Kyoto. He placed fifth in Paris three years ago.
The field set its own record: five women reached the semi-finals, according to the ASI, and India, Kenya, Lebanon and Moldova sent candidates for the first time. Our guide to what to eat in Lisbon covers the city beyond the competition hall.
The circuit now turns regional. The ASI calendar lists Best Sommelier of Africa and Middle East in Cape Town in May 2027 and Best Sommelier of Europe in Poland in September 2027, both still to be confirmed. On the three-year cycle, the next world final falls in 2029, when Nikolai Haram Svorte will be the one handing over the title.
