Sommelier

Davide is a young Italian waiter, native of Puglia, he grew up in Milan with his family. His father, a Chef, will be his first link with the world of wine and gastronomy. Davide loves smells that rise from the kitchen, but he is less attracted to working there, so he turned to the indoor service and imagines himself a happy bartender. He followed the renowned Carlo Porta hotel school in Milan and it is by listening to his teacher Giuseppe Vaccarini (Best Sommelier of the World in 1978) that the young Davide decided without hesitation what he wanted to do later. After his training he lived two years in England, where he became multilingual and practiced his craft.

Thibaut Panas was born in 1984 in the historic province of Champagne. He was raised in a modest family that loved to eat and drink good products from the terroir. At 15 he became interested in the hospitality business and very naturally he took the path of training as a sommelier. When asked about Swiss wines, he tells us that the first Swiss wine he tasted was a Buxus, Sauvignon Blanc by Louis Bovard, this happened in London, a city he had chosen to learn the language while exercising his profession. 

Michele Caimotto is originally from Padua in the Veneto region. He spent his youth immersed in the world of gastronomy, taking part in the active life of the family restaurant. His father, renowned chef and bon vivant, always strives to enhance the quality of local products, authentic and tasty, such as homemade duck sausage that Michele likes to remember.

Nathalie initially studied economics before continuing her training at the Ecole Hotelière of Lausanne. She joined the family business in 1999 and brought her knowledge of business management, and was present on all fronts, reigned over the computers, ran the restaurant team and her father gave her the keys of the cellar of the “Ermitage” with more than a thousand wines from all continents to manage.

Vincent Debergé is a young French and talented sommelier with a professional dream carrier. He enthusiastically talks about his journey. He recalls with affection his guides and mentors who helped him paint a dream goal and gave him the love for the job. Vincent explains he is not an Obelix who fell into a wine cask when he was young. He details that in the Basque region, where he spent his childhood, balancing your life is the main activity. A days is simply spent playing “pelota”, eating good local food and drinking regional wines. The wine was always part of his life.

Fabio Masi is a world-renowned sommelier. He owes it to his natural elegance, precision, a charismatic personality and a unique smile. The sommelier regularly attends competitions around the world. He competes by passion and a desire to constantly improve, again and again. This tough expert is eager to specialize and refine his knowledge of wine regions around the world, as well as all imaginable spirits. In these very high level competitions, he appreciates the friendly and constructive dialogue he maintains with his pairs in this elite world of wine.

Samuel Boissy is from Bouillé-Lorertz, a town located in the region of Poitou-Charentes. Its inhabitants are called the Bouillavins and Bouillavines (literally the wine faces). Was that a sign on the path of our young wine taster ?  Samuel is the son of a schoolteacher and a welder; however, his path was not laid out in advance. “In the family we like to drink a good glass of wine and would easily open a bottle with our meals”. Samuel always liked wine, but did not plan to make a career out of it. It was only later thanks to significant encounters with wine specialists that he came to understand wine and its complexity.

First he hands you a glass of Chasselas, a Swiss grape he loves, requesting your view of his latest discovery; a rather pleasant introduction. Standing in a corner of his restaurant, his black sommelier apron tied around his waist, Jerome Aké Beda tastes different wines for an upcoming "winemaker evening," a food and wine pairing dinner, scheduled for a hundred people. Aké Beda was awarded the title of: “Sommelier of the Year 2015” by the Gault & Millau in Switzerland. A reward he considers "a symbol, a strong signal" to the African he is.