After an exciting two-day competition held on September 21 and 22, Elise de Waele, from the Flemish Sommeliers Association, was crowned winner of the Master of Port Benelux 2025, taking home the prestigious Silver Goblet.
The final brought together five outstanding sommeliers from across the Benelux region. Alongside Elise de Waele, the competition featured Daphne van den Hoven and Dennis van Veen of the Gilde van de Sommeliers Netherlands, Ruben Struyve of the Belgian Sommeliers Guilde, and Yoerik Depraetere from the Flemish Sommeliers Association.
After two intense days of theoretical and practical tests, Daphne van den Hoven and Ruben Struyve secured second and third place respectively, demonstrating the exceptional talent and expertise present in this year’s edition.
Around 50 invited guests attended the various stages of the program, which included the practical service tests performed by the competitors as well as a commented Port tasting seminar. The program culminated in a standing dinner at the restaurant of the Pestana Riverside Hotel Amsterdam, during which the announcement of the winner was made in a celebratory atmosphere.
The Master of Port contest is organized by the Instituto dos do Douro e do Porto, I.P. (IVDP), and aims to highlight the excellence of Port and to strengthen its presence among professionals and opinion leaders in the Benelux region. In 2025, 269 years since the creation of the oldest demarcated and delimited region in the world, the first Master of Port Benelux competition was concluded, with the valuable collaboration and support of the Belgian Sommeliers Guilde, the Flemish Sommeliers Association, and the Gilde van de Sommeliers Netherlands.
Gilberto Igrejas, President of the IVDP emphasized: “The IVDP is committed to supporting education and excellence in wine service. The Master of Port Benelux is a key initiative to deepen the connection between Port and leading professionals in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg”.
