Frederico Benjamim de Souza Nunes is the "Best Wines of Alentejo Sommelier in Brazil". The Brasilia professional received today the distinction, after the final of the 5th edition of the contest, which took place at the Hotel Mar d'Ar Muralhas, in Évora.

There were eight finalists who competed for this place, which last year was won by Wallace Gonçalves Neves, a sommelier at the Sheraton Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. The finalists - Frederico Benjamim de Souza Nunes, Rafael Costacurta, Alessandro Pescara, Mizael Tavares Gomes from Curitiba, Amauri Santana de Souza, Adriano Henrique Cândido de Souza, Aldo Assada and Débora Cristine Vendraminios - arrived in Portugal on January 22 and had the opportunity to take a tour of the Alentejo, with training sessions, wine tastings and, finally, a written, oral and practical test, where all the knowledge acquired was put to the test.

During this week, the specialists contacted some of the main Alentejo producers in order to experience the true Alentejo spirit and to learn the secrets of Alentejo wine from the region's greatest connoisseurs.

The jury of the contest that annually elects the new Alentejo Wine Ambassador in Brazil was composed of Francisco Mateus, president of the Board of Directors of CVR Alentejana and also by Alexandre Lalas, Brazilian wine journalist and critic, and Guilherme Corrêa, the important Brazilian sommelier. now works in Portugal (both employees of the Revista de Vinhos).

This is an annual contest that the Wines of Alentejo promoted for the first time in 2014. It is an initiative that makes the relationship between the Alentejo and Brazil even closer. Having been the country where the Alentejo Wines most exported in 2017, it is important to have professionals who know their specificities and characteristics.