At this year's Champagne Telmont Best Young Sommelier of South Africa competition, Thembani Wesley Mpande emerged victorious. The South African Sommeliers Association (SASA) hosted the competition on Tuesday 4 October at Blaauwklippen Vineyards in Stellenbosch, in partnership with Stellenbosch Wine Routes. Starting the day with nine semi-finalists, three finalists were announced: George Young (Sommelier at Oldenburg Vineyards), Stefan Reinmuth (Head sommelier at Oldenburg Vineyards), and Thembani Wesley Mpande (Assistant Sommelier at Marble Restaurant). These finalists took the stage in front of 50 wine and restaurant industry professionals, where they competed in four tasks, namely a Champagne service, cocktail challenge, cheese and wine pairing, and oral wine examination.