A three-way duel: who will be crowned best sommelier in France 2024 this Sunday, November 3?

Who will be crowned best sommelier in France this year? Response on Sunday November 3 in Thuir. This is where the final of the competition organized by the Union of French Sommellerie (UDSF) will be played. More precisely within the emblematic Regional Institute of Sommellerie Sud de France, in the Byrrh cellars, an elixir invented by the Violet brothers in 1866.

Theory and practice

After passing the semi-final of the competition which took place on September 9 in Bordeaux, the three finalists Bastien Debono (head sommelier at the hotel-restaurant La Maison Bleue by Yoann Conte), Clément Sommier ( consultant sommelier Berthaudin SA Carouge) and Quentin Vauléon (sommelier at Frevo – USA) will compete in a final series of tests to win the coveted title of best sommelier of France 2024. A crown that rewards not only mastery of techniques of the profession, but also the art of enhancing the experience around wine. On the program of the tests that day: theoretical questionnaires, food and wine pairing exercises, mixology and service.

This final, open to the public upon registration, will take place in the heart of the wine heritage of the Pyrénées-Orientales. As a reminder, the South of France Regional Institute of Sommellerie in Thuir, supported by the Aspres community of communes, has been training students and professionals in the world of wine in sommelier and viticulture since 2023. All with state-of-the-art infrastructure. The Institute benefits from major support. Like the comedian and actor François-Xavier Demaison who is the godfather of the establishment. Elisabeth Gabay, Master of Wine, is its godmother.

This Sunday, around 6 p.m., the results will be announced at the foot of the largest oak thunderbolt in the world listed in the Guinness Book of Records. May the best win.

Also read:
Thuir: “It’s an emblematic place with the Byrrh cellars”