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Raimonds Tomsons
Sommelier
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
The Making
Sommelier training begins with the grammar of viticulture, oenology, service, and tasting discipline; Raimonds Tomsons built that base at the Austrian Wine Academy before moving into restaurant work in Riga, Latvia. At Vincents Restaurant, the craft was practical: reading a cellar, matching wine to food, and making the bottle serve the table rather than the other way around. Wine direction depends on selection, context, and buying judgment. As Wine Director of Barents Wine Collectors, Raimonds Tomsons works with a collection shaped by those trade decisions, while his role as Head of Wines at the Wine Collectors wine import company places him inside the mechanics of sourcing, importing, and positioning wine for the Latvian market. Competition and judging work test a sommelier’s palate in public. Raimonds Tomsons has judged for the Decanter World Wine Awards and the Star Wine List, and his board role with the Latvian Sommelier Association connects that technical work to local professional standards. Through Raimonds Tomsons Ltd., the same field of practice extends into independent wine and spirits work.
The Work Today
Wine direction in Riga now sits alongside spirits education and brand work in Raimonds Tomsons’s current practice. His work as Wine Director at Barents Wine Collectors remains centered on wine selection and service knowledge, while his brand ambassador roles for the Craft Irish Whiskey Company and Mosphera extend the same tasting, communication, and category fluency into fine spirits. Education infrastructure is part of the trade, especially where wine and whiskey require shared language and disciplined assessment. As co-founder of the Guild of Whiskey Sommeliers and WineTeach, Raimonds Tomsons works in the space where tasting method, product knowledge, and service training are formalized for other professionals. Independent practice gives a sommelier room to connect judging, importing, education, and brand work without separating them into isolated lanes. Raimonds Tomsons Ltd. Functions within that broader wine and spirits field, with Raimonds Tomsons operating across cellar selection, competition standards, and professional training.
Acclaim
Sommelier competitions measure tasting, service, theory, communication, and composure under scrutiny. Raimonds Tomsons placed 3rd at the World's Best Sommelier Competition in 2019 and was named the ASI Best Sommelier of the World in 2023, putting his work at the top level of the profession’s competitive standard. Regional and national titles mark the stages of that same technical progression. Raimonds Tomsons was named Europe & Africa's Best Sommelier in 2017, Best Latvian Sommelier in 2006, and Best Baltic Sommelier in 2006, a sequence of recognition that tracks the development of a sommelier through local, regional, and global benchmarks.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Raimonds
What is Raimonds Tomsons's present role?
Raimonds Tomsons is Wine Director of Barents Wine Collectors.
Where did Raimonds Tomsons train or study?
Raimonds Tomsons trained at Austrian Wine Academy.
What recognition has Raimonds Tomsons received?
3rd at the World's Best Sommelier Competition (2019).
