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Reeze Choi
Sommelier
- Discipline
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i. Biography
Hong Kong’s sommelier trade is built in service: floor work, list fluency, producer recall, and the ability to translate bottles into dining decisions under pressure. Within that register, Reeze Choi’s work has moved through major Hong Kong rooms, international competition, and wine-list representation without separating technical study from service craft. “The more I learn about wine, the more I realise how little I know.” Reeze has said.
The Trajectory
Formal sommelier training provides structure for tasting, service, and theory before those skills are tested on the floor. The Court of Master Sommeliers gave Reeze Choi that foundation, placing his wine education inside a discipline built around blind tasting, cellar knowledge, and dining-room execution. Restaurant service at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Hong Kong put that training into a high-expectation room where wine knowledge has to function in real time. As sommelier, Choi worked inside a setting where palate, language, timing, and list command all had to support the guest experience without interrupting the meal. Hotel sommelier work adds another layer: range, consistency, and the ability to serve different dining contexts under one institutional standard. At Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, Choi continued that trade practice in a venue where wine service depends as much on calibration and restraint as on product knowledge. Wine-list advocacy and public-facing trade work have become part of modern sommelier practice. Since 2019, Choi has served as Hong Kong Ambassador for Star Wine List, representing restaurant wine culture through a platform built around lists, venues, and the people maintaining them.
The Work Today
Contemporary wine consulting for restaurants requires more than selecting bottles. It means reading the food program, the room, the buying structure, and the service team’s capacity, then building drinking and gastronomic experiences that can be executed consistently. Choi’s current work sits in that applied space: original drinking formats, restaurant consulting, and wine decisions shaped by both pairing and service realities.
Accolades
Sommelier competitions test a broad craft set: tasting under time, service mechanics, theory, communication, and the ability to stay precise in public. Choi’s results include ASI Asia-Pacific Best Sommelier (2025), ASI Best Sommelier of the World: 3rd place (2023), and ASI Best Sommelier of the World Competition: Semi-finalist (16th place) (2019). Regional and local titles show the same skill set being proven across different competitive fields. Choi was named The Best Sommelier of Hong Kong: Champion (2019), Belt and Road Asian Sommelier Competition: Champion (2019), and The Best Sommelier Greater China (2017), placing his work within both Hong Kong’s service culture and the wider Asian sommelier circuit.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Reeze
What does Reeze Choi do now?
Reeze Choi is sommelier, best sommelier at Asia & Oceania.
Where did Reeze Choi train or study?
Reeze Choi trained at The Court of Master Sommeliers.
What recognition has Reeze Choi received?
ASI Asia-Pacific Best Sommelier (2025).
