Toronto sommelier Junxing (James) Li has won silver at the 2026 Chaîne des Rôtisseurs International Young Sommelier Competition in Båstad, Sweden.
Li, assistant general manager and sommelier at DaNico, represented Canada after winning the national final in Calgary on March 28. Fourteen competitors took part in the international semifinal on October 16, with three advancing to the October 17 final at Hotel Skansen. The wider event programme ran October 14–18.
John Fuller of Eleven Madison Park in New York won gold, while Charlie Richards of Agnes Restaurant in Brisbane took bronze.
Service under pressure
For Li, the hardest part was blind tasting across wines and spirits. In written responses to Good Life Vancouver, he described relying on a structured approach, consistent preparation and his senses rather than overthinking each decision.
He approached the competition much like restaurant service. The setting was different, but his focus remained on the hospitality standards he practises every day.
“Excellent service begins with listening and understanding the guest’s expectations,” he said.
That means offering accurate, relevant information without overwhelming the conversation, and choosing wine that suits what the guest actually wants.
How to ask for a wine you’ll enjoy
Li’s advice for diners facing an intimidating wine list is practical: describe the style you enjoy and say how much you would like to spend. Those two details give a sommelier a useful starting point.
Among Canadian producers, he singled out Ontario’s On Seven for elegance and precision, and British Columbia’s CheckMate for a more expressive style with ripe fruit and texture.
“Both reflect the quality and diversity of Canadian wine today,” he wrote.
From teacups to the competition floor
One early wine memory came during Li’s legal studies, when an exercise earned his group a bottle of wine. With little knowledge of what they had, they poured it into a pitcher and drank it from teacups. Years later, he discovered it had been Vega Sicilia Único.
“It wasn’t necessarily the moment I decided to pursue wine professionally, but it’s certainly a memorable introduction in retrospect,” he wrote.
His hospitality career has included leading the wine programme at Enigma Yorkville before joining DaNico. WineAlign’s 2026 National Wine Awards judge biography lists his WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Advanced Sommelier qualification through the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe. It also describes him as a Master of Wine Stage 1 student preparing for the Master Sommelier Diploma.
Li sees the two study paths as complementary: one offers a wider academic view of wine, while the other puts knowledge into practice through service.
“In a sense, the MS focuses on the moment, while the MW defines the broader scope,” he wrote.
After months of preparation, his post-competition meal was considerably less formal. He had enjoyed Båstad’s seafood and local ingredients, but once the competition was over, he wanted pizza and a cold Peroni.
“It was exactly what I wanted after months of structured preparation.”
