THE Chester Grosvenor’s sommelier has been shortlisted for the Oscars of the wine world.

Garry Clark, 38, will be pitting his wits against the best wine experts in the UK at the Academy of Food and Wine’s 2010 Sommelier of the Year competition.

The awards have been running for 30 years and are recognised as one of the industry’s toughest competitions.

The aim is to find the best sommelier in the UK based on wine knowledge, serving skills, customer service skills and tasting ability.

Garry looks after The Chester Grosvenor and Spa’s wine cellar, which is one of the most comprehensive in the UK.

He has worked at The Chester Grosvenor Hotel and Spa for six years, and shares his encyclopaedic knowledge with diners in the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor. Garry said: “I’m thrilled to be representing The Chester Grosvenor at these prestigious awards.

“I simply love wine and really enjoy helping our guests choose from our fantastic wine cellar.

“I will be pulling out all the stops during the final and hope to bring the trophy back home to Chester.”

He will be competing with 14 other sommeliers from some of the best and most well-known restaurants across the UK, including Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons and Gordon Ramsay’s London restaurants.

The awards are sponsored by House of Champagne Piper-Heidsieck, and the semi-finals and finals take place on April 28 in London.

The contestants will be completing a timed blind wine tasting, correcting mistakes on a wine list, and taking part in a pressurised restaurant role-play.

The winner will receive a trip to the House of Champagne Piper-Heidsieck, in the heart of the Champagne region, including a personal tasting with Chef de Caves Régis Camus.