Margot DUFFORT

Head sommelier : 1 restaurant

Presentation

" Sommellerie is something that's in me. I can't not talk about wine," confides Margot Duffort. It was during an internship with a wine merchant in Lourdes that the young woman discovered her vocation: she would become a sommelier. Baccalauréat, BTS, CAP en salle, mention complémentaire... She continued her studies until 2017, when she landed an internship at Le Gindreau restaurant in Saint-Médard (Charente-Maritime).

" I didn't know the region at all. But I was lucky enough to work with Florian Balzeau, who was preparing for the MOF and Meilleur Sommelier de France." Imbued by the head sommelier's competitions, she in turn won first prize in the André Daguin competition in 2016. She continued her career at Le Gindreau, this time on a sandwich course, then as sommelier and head sommelier since 2022. " I came in as a trainee and never left," she enthuses.

After reaching the final of the Trophée des terroirs du Sud-Ouest, the young woman went on to win the gold medal at the Olympiades des métiers. Since then, she has been training future candidates from the Occitanie region. I'd hoped to be a coach in a few years' time," she says, "but to think that I'm one now makes me very happy! "The icing on the cake: Margot Duffort was awarded the Sommelier Gault&Millau Occitanie 2023 trophy.

I. B.