International
Bastien Debono wins the title of France's Best Sommelier 2024
Bastien Debono, from La Table de Yoann Conte restaurant, has just won the title of Best Sommelier of France. He stood out from this year's two other finalists.
On Sunday November 3, 2024, at the Institut Régional de Sommellerie in Thuir, Bastien Debono was crowned France's Best Sommelier in an intense final orchestrated by the Union de la Sommellerie Française (UDSF). Fabrice Sommier, President of the UDSF, opened the competition, where the three finalists competed in six demanding workshops. Bastien Debono, now patron of the Institute's second class, won over the jury with his technical skills and sense of sharing.
Nominated for the Gault&Millau Sommelier of the Year award
The competition included blind tastings, food and wine pairings, and service exercises. In the first workshop, sommeliers analyzed white wines and tried to identify their grape varieties. This was followed by a gastronomic pairing of European cheeses and wines, requiring as much general knowledge as gustatory finesse. The tests got tougher with tastings of white spirits and a decanting exercise, followed by a Sauternes candle service. To conclude, they were invited to design a wine tourism trip to Roussillon, demonstrating their knowledge of the region's terroirs and wine culture.
For Bastien Debono, this title is "a great honor!". "I'm very grateful to the people I've met along the way, who have trained me. It's a fascinating profession, not always easy, but one that offers some wonderful moments", he confided, before admitting that the cheese workshop test was particularly complex for him.
In addition to Bastien Debono, 31, whose career has been marked by awards such as Master of Port 2021, the other finalists also shone. Quentin Vauléon, bronze medallist, distinguished himself with international experience, and Clément Sommier, at just 27 years of age, took silver for his first time.silver for his first participation, with a sommelier career that has taken him to prestigious establishments.
The head sommelier of Yoann Conte's La Table restaurant has also been nominated for the Gault&Millau 2025 Sommelier of the Year title, to be awarded at a ceremony in Paris on November 18. Will he make it a double as the year draws to a close? The verdict will be in shortly...
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