DWWA judge profile: Élyse Lambert MS

Élyse Lambert MS is a judge at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA)

Élyse Lambert MS

Montreal based Elyse has been now working in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years. She is currently working as a sommelier consultant for the Ritz-Carlton Toronto and as Quebec’s client care director for Iron Gate. She also consults for private and corporate clients and is often invited to facilitate wine education seminars and to speak at corporate functions in Canada and around the world.

Following hotel management training from the Quebec Tourism and Hotel Institute (1998) and a certificate of professional specialization in sommellerie from the École Hôtelière des Laurentides (1999), Élyse Lambert MS held several positions in renowned institutions in Quebec.

Her journey took her from Relais & Châteaux to Mouthwater and Auberge Hatley to the XO restaurant at the Hotel Le St-James in Montreal. Chef Sommelier at the restaurant Le Local in Old Montreal for 5 years, she worked for 2 years with the Maison Boulud sommelier team at the Ritz-Carlton.

Élyse has been successful in numerous sommelier competitions, including being awarded 3rd in the Canada’s Best Sommelier competition in 2006, 1st in the Best Sommelier of the Americas competition in 2009, Best Sommelier of Canada 2015 and 5th Best Sommelier of the World 2016.

She recently completed the Master Sommelier programme, becoming the 4th Canadian and the first Quebecois to become a master sommelier.

She judged at DWWA for the first time in 2019.

For more information about Élyse, take a look at her website.

Follow Élyse on Instagram.

See more judges for the 2026 DWWA.