International
Xavier THUIZAT
Head sommelier : 1 restaurant
He's the talk of the wine world, after his double award in 2022: Xavier Thuizat simultaneously won the titles of Meilleur ouvrier de France and Meilleur sommelier de France. It's quite an achievement for this Burgundian who was born at the Hospices de Beaune. "I was born in a wing of the Hospices which, at the time, was still a maternity hospital run by nuns."
Her family history is equally original. "My parents weren't in the wine business, but my grandfather owned vineyards in the Premier Crus. He sold everything for 1,000 francs at the time. After the war, in the 1950s, vines were less profitable than other crops."
Xavier Thuizat, who wanted to become a journalist, passed a literary baccalaureate, then continued his studies at the Tain-l'Hermitage hotel school, majoring in sommellerie, somewhat by chance, to follow a classmate. There, he met his sommelier teacher, Pascal Bouchet, who had a major influence on him. He landed a position as commis sommelier at Bernard Loiseau, then moved on to Le Meurice, during Yannick Alléno's era, where he remembers his first Romanée-Conti tasting: "It was the 1995 vintage, a glass offered by a customer from Venezuela. I won't forget its bouquet."
He then spent five years at Pierre Gagnaire's side, where, as he puts it, he"unlearned", to relearn how to work with the chef's highly creative cuisine. At 28, he landed a position as head sommelier at the Peninsula, where he created the wine list for the Paris opening.
Head sommelier at the Hôtel de Crillon since 2017, Xavier Thuizat had the opportunity, on his arrival, to rebuild the establishment's cellar, which had been partly sold. He officiates at the l'Écrin restaurant, where wine has a special place of honor, since the wine is chosen first, and the menu is created afterwards. Another distinctive feature of this endearing sommelier is his passion for and knowledge of Japanese sake. He has been named Saké Samouraï and is president of the Japanese sake jury for the Kura Master competition.
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