ASI Vote on the return of Russian sommeliers

The unexpected vote raises a great many questions.

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In late May, the ASI General Assembly was held in Taipei, Taiwan. Among the organizational issues discussed by the presidents of the national associations belonging to ASI, a motion to reinstate Russian sommeliers was unexpectedly put to a vote.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ASI had not issued any official statements regarding the status of the Russian association, and only in response to a media inquiry did it state that RAS is on hold. Now, in May, the ASI board proposed not to reinstate the entire association’s membership, but merely to allow Russian members to the next competition for the title of Europe’s Best Sommelier. This point was not listed on the agenda in advance and came as a surprise to many of the participants. Twenty-four members voted against, 16 in favor, and 8 abstained. As a result, the suspension of Russian sommeliers was extended at least until the next assembly.

At the same time, the very fact that this issue was put to a vote raises a number of questions about the consistency of ASI’s policies. The third issue of ASI Mag outlined four key requirements for ASI members. These are registration as a non-profit organization, a board of directors composed primarily of practicing professional sommeliers, voting rights reserved exclusively for practicing professional sommeliers, and a democratic process for electing the president and board members as stipulated in the bylaws.

The situation with the Russian Association of Sommeliers (RAS) is the exact opposite. Although the Russian association has been a member of ASI since 2002, its legal entity was not registered until 2015. The company is registered as an LLC, that is, as a commercial enterprise. The Registry of Legal Entities lists the organization’s sole board member — its director Alexei Sidorov. Mr. Sidorov is holding his position since 1999 – longer than Putin and longer than many African dictators. He has not worked in a restaurant for more than twenty years.

The ASI Code of Ethics strictly prohibits any form of bribery or corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, embezzlement, and conflicts of interest.