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3 star sommelier: is there such a thing?


Bu Pun Su

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First of all, I'm sorry if it's not the right place to raise this question.

We all know that Michelin 3* is the most widely accepted standard for the restaurants in the world, with the main concentration in cooking and the chefs become very famous when their restaurants are elevated.

My question is - is there such thing as 3-star sommelier? Does the sommelier work in the 3-star restaurants imply that they (in most cases) are better than the 2 and 1 or even non starred restaurants?

For those of you the wine experts, would you mind telling me your 3-5 top sommeliers (some explanation would be very appreciated)? I'm kind of thinking that one day I would like to visit La Villa Madie - not really for the sake of the food, but simply because I would like to experience the wines selected by one of the world's top sommelier - Enrico Bernardo? Many thanks

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First of all, I'm sorry if it's not the right place to raise this question.

We all know that Michelin 3* is the most widely accepted standard for the restaurants in the world, with the main concentration in cooking and the chefs become very famous when their restaurants are elevated.

My question is - is there such thing as 3-star sommelier? Does the sommelier work in the 3-star restaurants imply that they (in most cases) are better than the 2 and 1 or even non starred restaurants?

For those of you the wine experts, would you mind telling me your 3-5 top sommeliers (some explanation would be very appreciated)? I'm kind of thinking that one day I would like to visit La Villa Madie - not really for the sake of the food, but simply because I would like to experience the wines selected by one of the world's top sommelier - Enrico Bernardo? Many thanks

My experience with the various sommelier in 2 to 3 star restaurants is that they try to match the wine with the food with the idea of generating the max revenue to the establishment .

Like anywhere its buyers beware,specially with the average cost about 80-90

euros/bottle.

I describe what i am looking for and give Euro/bottle figure and often i am not happy with their suggestion.I don't think they are familiar with every bottle that's listed.So it pays to ask them the basis for their recommendation.Good luck

miliar

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The sommelier at Taillevent (Marco, as I recall) is amongst the best in my view. When I was there a couple of years ago I asked his view about 2 wines that I had shortlisted, a Chablis and a red Burg. Immediately he suggested superior unlisted wines (producer, vintage etc) from the cellar at lower prices than those we had selected. At the end of the meal he provided a valuable introduction to a merchant in Burgundy. His passion was obvious.

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Generally I think you can say that a three star restaurant is not imaginable without a very good sommelier. But this does by no way mean that in places with a lesser Michelin rating there could not be sommeliers with the same or even higher skills.

The best example is Philippe Faure-Brac who is "Meilleur Sommelier du Monde" but works in the relatively modest surroundings of his own "Bistrot du Sommelier". Also think of David Ridgway of "La Tour d'Argent", certainly one of the very best sommeliers worldwide, but only one Michelin star.

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I am in no way a "wine expert" but rather a bottom feeder where wine lists go but I recall "Burgundy Stars," the story of Bernard Loiseau's reach for the stars, and if memory serves me, he had the same sommelier as he went higher & higher. It's hard for me to believe that someone who trusts his/their sommelier would switch if he/they got more stars.

John Talbott

blog John Talbott's Paris

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Bistrot du Sommelier looks very interesting - love to try one day

Amaiden, have you been there before? What's it like?

My little observation

While the restaurant's wine collection is huge, I don't find Laurent Roucayrol (ADPA) is a really good sommelier. He hardly listens to customers and showed "unhappy" when his suggestion is not followed

On the other hand, Stéphane Thivat (Arpege) is a fun and very knowledgeble one. Don't let his young-age look translates to "inexperienced" in choosing the wine

Regardless of that, it's still vague for me whether they're "a 3-star sommelier", but the food there is certainly a very solid 3-star

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My little observation

While the restaurant's wine collection is huge, I don't find Laurent Roucayrol (ADPA) is a really good sommelier. He hardly listens to customers and showed "unhappy" when his suggestion is not followed

True! I remember one day, we told him we didn't really like one of the wines served (I think it was a rosé from Bandol, early 90s maybe, or even older). Basically, he told us we were not "able" to "understand" the wine — can you believe that?

And by the way, I never saw Faure-Brac at the bistro du Sommelier, where the wine list is mostly impressive on cotes-rotie, but not as open minded as it can be in any average/hip/young/recent wine bar (and even old ones like Les Enfants rouges, for instance).

A short PS and I'm gone: Bernardo hired six or eight sommeliers to help him at the Villa. Therefore, I don't know if he'll always be serving wine to his customers. But I do know that when he does (remember him at the George V, although I always found Mr Beaumard much more fun), you have some great time. Eric Beaumard: he'd be one of the best "3 star sommelier", as far as I'm concerned. And what about David Biraud, at the Ambassadeurs?

"Mais moi non plus, j'ai pas faim! En v'là, une excuse!..."

(Jean-Pierre Marielle)

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Hard to believe given this thread’s title but this weekend’s Figaro had an article (only in their hard copy or pdf version, not on the website) by Sylvain Ouchikh on the competition in Rhodes for the Best Sommelier of the Year. This is the 12th; it’s held every three years; people train as if for the Olympics and this year’s favorites include an Alsatian-Frenchman working in the UK - Éric Zwibel, an Italian - Fabio Masi, an French-born Anglosaxon - Gérard Basset, a Japanese - Yoichi Sato and a German - Jurgen Fendt. The testing involves a written exercise, blind-tasting, matching wine to food and serving difficult customers. To return to the three star sommelier issue, from the article one sees that rather than go to starred restos, the winners go on to prestigious careers in national and international organizations.

John Talbott

blog John Talbott's Paris

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Interesting topic.

I am passionate about wine. And I did visit quite some restaurants because of their wine lists. The 3 star places usually have a very prestigious wine list but not necessarily outstanding -read "world class"- wine advice.

The problem being that "personal" interpretation of the sommeliers is not necessarily in line with your own taste in wine. I have had unfortunate experiences quite some times with sommeliers thinking "their" taste is universal.

So, now, my rule is not to follow the sommelier's advices, in 3* places or anywhere else. I might miss some nice stuff but "in average", I'll win. I know this from experience.

Now... the best sommelier would be the one who can analyse and help you choose a wine that fits your taste and match well with the food.

This, unfortunately, is difficult to "measure". And titles/stars/medals don't help...

Edited by winemike (log)

"Je préfère le vin d'ici à l'au-delà"

Francis Blanche

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Interesting topic.

I am passionate about wine. And I did visit quite some restaurants because of their wine lists. The 3 star places usually have a very prestigious wine list but not necessarily outstanding -read "world class"- wine advice.

The problem being that "personal" interpretation of the sommeliers is not necessarily in line with your own taste in wine. I have had unfortunate experiences quite some times with sommeliers thinking "their" taste is universal.

So, now, my rule is not to follow the sommelier's advices, in 3* places or anywhere else. I might miss some nice stuff but "in average", I'll win. I know this from experience.

Now... the best sommelier would be the one who can analyse and help you choose a wine that fits your taste and match well with the food.

This, unfortunately, is difficult to "measure". And titles/stars/medals don't help...

Well said!

The most important attribute a sommelier needs to possess is an ability to determine what wine a customer would enjoy with his or her meal. (not "should" enjoy. It's not about the wine or the food, it's first and foremost about the diner!

Most of these competitions focus on knowledge about wine, the key to selling anything is knowledge about the customer first then knowledge about the wines on the list and not technical knowledge but rather knowledge of how the wine tastes!

Being able to identify obscure varietals blind or rattle off all the premier crus of Vosne Romanee has very little to do with ensuring a customer has a pleasurable dining experience.

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