Meet Nicolas Clerc MS - UKSA President

After our board meeting early June when Nicolas Clerc was reelected to continue as UKSA President, we wanted to ask him more about himself and why he volunteers so much time, passion and dedication to the UKSA….

Nicolas Clerc MS has been working for Armit Wines since October 2018. Previously, he worked at Fields, Morris and Verdin as a Prestige account manager after working in the restaurant industry for 14 years.

Clerc won UK Sommelier of the Year in 2007 and became a Master Sommelier in 2010.

Clerc is President and Founder of the United Kingdom Sommelier Academy. He is a regular judge at the Decanter World Wine, IWSC and Catey’s Awards. In 2023, He received ‘The Caterer’ Gerard Basset Award, a recognition for his work and dedication toward the sommelier community in the UK.

Q. What is your function with the UKSA?

A. I am one of the founders and current President of The Academy

Q. What motivates you to be involved with the UKSA?

A. During COVID and the Pandemic years, Nina Basset, Kathrine Larsen MS, Eric Zwiebel MS, Olivier Marie, Romané Basset and I decided to create the UKSA to rally the community of Sommeliers together. We wanted to create a non-profit, unique, creative and dynamic association of people to forward the sommelier profession.

Q. Why do you think membership of the UKSA is beneficial?

A. The UKSA gives access to those in the sommelier role but more largely to the wine trade. Members have access to mentoring, training, masterclasses, plus events around the wines and the profession. They can be inspired, guided, or just meet like-minded people.