KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — Arthur Chang has been crowned champion of the Malaysia Best Sommelier Championship 2026, organised by the Sommelier Association of Malaysia (SOMLAY) at St Giles Mid Valley from July 17 to 19.
Speaking to Malay Mail moments after the announcement, Chang said relief was the first thing he felt.
“I finally started to breathe again. I was just holding my breath the entire time,” he said, adding that the competition was far from easy.
“It’s given us a lot to think about in terms of how we can improve, because I was by no means perfect. I just made fewer mistakes.”
A sommelier at 67 Pall Mall Singapore and formerly of Dewakan in Kuala Lumpur, Chang had the strongest performance, sweeping four of the championship’s honours, taking the Champion title, Best in Theory, Best in Service and the Cepas de Chile Award, which recognises knowledge and appreciation of Chilean wines.
Sponsored by the Embassy of Chile in Malaysia, the Cepas de Chile Award was presented to Chang by Jaime Muñoz Sandoval, Ambassador of Chile to Malaysia, as part of the embassy’s continued support for professional wine development in the country.
Chang, who is from Sungai Buloh, said his win against a field that for the first time included foreign sommeliers was proof of what Malaysians in the trade can do.
“If I, a Malaysian born in a country that has no wine — zero, no vineyards, no grapes, nothing — can still push and stand toe to toe with international sommeliers, anyone from here can do it,” he said, adding that it came down to “a bit of luck, a bit of persistence and mentality.”
Asked what advice he had for Malaysians hoping to become sommeliers, Chang kept it simple.
“Taste. Just taste a lot of wine. Always be humble. There’s always someone better, more experienced, that will knock your socks off. Be humble and persist. Don’t give up,” he said.
He said Malaysia was still a young wine market working to earn international recognition, and hoped the country would one day be seen as “a serious place for wines.”
Chang said he plans to sit for his Advanced Sommelier Certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers in October, with the Master Sommelier Diploma as his next target.
“I believe competitions like these are the perfect training ground for budding master sommeliers or even masters of wine,” he said.
Chin Voon Ping, head sommelier at Potager Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, placed first runner-up and also won the Best in Blind Tasting Award.
Aaron Liew, senior sales executive at Grand Vin Pte Ltd in Singapore, was named second runner-up.
The inaugural Best Foreign Sommelier Award went to Singapore-based Daisuke Kawai, an independent wine consultant and former chef sommelier at Les Amis, under the championship’s newly expanded format that this year opened the competition to foreign sommeliers working in Malaysia and overseas.
The 2026 championship drew 11 competitors — nine Malaysians and two international entrants — through three days of examinations covering theory, blind tasting, service, and food-and-beverage pairing.
The top three advanced to the Grand Final on July 19, where they were put through eight challenges, including six individual and two team tasks.
These tested beverage receiving and inspection, communication, teamwork, and decision-making, all in real-world guest service scenarios under pressure before a live audience.
The competition was evaluated by a six-member judging panel led by chief judge Britt Ng, wine director of Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
It also comprised Lesley Liu, head sommelier at three-Michelin-starred Odette in Singapore; Wong Yin How, founder of Vintry Cellars; Ronald Binati, assistant professor at UCSI University’s Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism; Daniel Chong, dean of Sunway University’s School of Hospitality & Tourism Management; and Justin Ho, deputy wine director at Park 90 in Singapore, who also served as co-technical director of this year’s championship, alongside SOMLAY president Danny Leong.
SOMLAY president Danny Leong said the championship represents the highest benchmark of professional excellence for sommeliers in the country, adding that this year’s international participation had raised the standard of competition and reflected Malaysia’s growing role in the global wine and hospitality community.
For more information, visit the Sommelier Association of Malaysia’s website at somlay.org.my
Facebook: Sommelier Association of Malaysia
Instagram: @sommelier.association_my
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