Jean-Charles HALLEY

Presentation

"I learned sommellerie on the job," says Jean-Charles Halley. Born in 1984, this son and grandson of restaurateurs never studied the art of sommellerie; it was"chance " that led him down this path. "One day, I wanted to start a business. My father said to me: "Why not a wine cellar?", he recalls. 2010 saw the inauguration of his first winery, in Argences. Over time, he was introduced to vin nature, a spontaneously fermenting wine. It's the start of a new adventure that couldn't take place in his cellar at the time.

And so, in 2017, he opened Les Mets Chai, in Caen (Calvados). "I'm happy with the pun!" he notes with a laugh. A few years later, the natural wine cellar was joined by a restaurant and expanded.

In 2022, Jean-Charles Halley was awarded the Sommelier trophy by Gault&Millau. "It's nice to know that it's hard work that pays off, not just studying or working in the big establishments," exclaims the self-taught sommelier. His secret: being in the field. "I harvest, I vinify, I'm in the vineyards all the time. It's my life," he confides.

The icing on the cake: the two chefs at the helm of this"drinking restaurant", Louis Leprêtre and Simon Pien, have been singled out in the Gault&Millau "109".

I.B.