Camille ROUHET, winner of the 32nd Concours du Meilleur Elève Sommelier de France en Vins et Spiritueux M. CHAPOUTIER

Thursday 15 and Friday 16 May 2025 saw the 32nd edition of the Concours du Meilleur Elève Sommelier en Vins et Spiritueux de France M. CHAPOUTIER take place in Tain l'Hermitage. This national event brings together students from Lycées Hôteliers or CFA preparing a Mention Complémentaire Sommellerie or a Brevet Professionnel Sommelier. This year, 36 students were selected from 33 schools after an initial selection round at their respective establishments.

A prestigious competition like no other. The first reserved for non-professionals. For Michel Chapoutier, the idea was to create a specific competition for student sommeliers that would reward their motivation and passion for this profession. The MES competition embodies the fundamental values of the Maison M. CHAPOUTIER: respect, boldness, conviviality and generosity. Michel Chapoutier says: "This competition highlights the sommelier profession and encourages young enthusiasts to excel. Our terroirs deserve to be sublimated by those who will take them on a journey through their pairings." As well as the trophy, the MES brings them the recognition of wine professionals, while opening the doors to the world of work. For the candidates, the challenge is considerable. Christophe Bayle, winner in 2004, remembers: "It was a competition of breathtaking emotional intensity! It also enabled me to take part in a trip to Australia, which was also a great experience.

On Thursday 15 May, the candidates met at the Lycée Hôtelier in Tain l'Hermitage for the semi-final. The semi-final consisted of a tasting of a white wine and a red wine, plus a written test on various aspects of sommellerie. 6 finalists were selected:

  • Baptiste COURTIN du Lycée Hôtelier International de Lille
  • Karla LE GALL du Lycée des Métiers de l’Hôtellerie et du Tourisme d’Occitanie de Toulouse
  • Camille ROUHET du Campus du Lac de Bordeaux
  • Edouard RUSSEL du Lycée Hôtelier de Tain l’Hermitage
  • Elisa TARDY de l’Ecole de Paris des Métiers de la Table de Paris
  • Jeanne WEIKOPF du Lycée Hôtelier du Parc et de la Francophonie de La Rochelle

After the results of the semi-final were announced, the 6 finalists were isolated to Taste Chef Jean-François Têtedoie's menu in order to find the best food and wine pairings for the next day's competition. During the evening, the candidates and their teachers were able to discover Pommery Champagnes and Cognac during a cocktail tasting workshop.

On Friday 16 May, the final began at 8.30am at the Maison M. CHAPOUTIER. For 30 minutes, each of the 6 finalists took part in a test in public: a food and wine matching test with a few questions in English, a decanting test and a tasting test of a white wine, a red wine, a liqueur and an eau-de-vie.

The six finalists, representing the elite of French sommellerie, receive prestigious prizes, including exceptional wines from the Maison M. CHAPOUTIER. An unforgettable experience for these young sommeliers!

Manuel Peyrondet, mentor of the 32nd edition:

Manuel Peyrondet, Meilleur Ouvrier de France "Sommelier" in 2011 was the mentor of the Competition in 2025. A graduate of the Ecole de Sommelier du Castel in Dijon, he became Head Sommelier of the prestigious Taillevent restaurant in Paris at the age of just 23. In 2008, he became France's Best Sommelier, and in 2009, he joined the Bristol in Paris as a sommelier. From 2010 to 2015, he was Head Sommelier at the Royal Monceau in Paris.

In 2011, he became Meilleur Ouvrier de France 'Sommelier', and in 2012, with Didier Kuhn, he founded a club dedicated to wine lovers and buyers, called 'Chais d'œuvre'.

Jean-François Têtedoie, Chef du Concours du Meilleur Elève Sommelier en Vins et Spiritueux Mr CHAPOUTIER 2025 :

A young chef from Lyon, Jean-François Têtedoie's world combines creativity, generosity and respect for French traditions. The son of a Michelin-starred chef and member of a family of restaurateurs, he acquired much of his expertise in the family restaurant. His career has also been enriched by unforgettable experiences in France and abroad, notably at the Institut Paul Bocuse and in Shanghai, which have enabled him to develop a unique vision of cuisine, combining tradition and modernity.

As joint owner of a number of establishments in Lyon, including Café Terroir and its outbuildings, as well as Monsieur P, he offers generous gastronomic cuisine rooted in the traditions of Lyon, and is keen to highlight the work of the chefs in the dining room. His cuisine showcases the produce and terroirs of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, creating a veritable symphony of flavours on the palate.

A member of the Toques Blanches Lyonnaises association since 2023, he is driven by a desire to showcase the richness and diversity of Lyon's cuisine.

Thanks to our partners:

This year, two new high-profile partners have joined the competition: Champagne Pommery, the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac, the Syndicat des Maisons de Cognac and the Cognac brands Bache-Gabrielsen, Cognac Bertrand, Cognac Planat, Ferrand Cognac, Meukow, Tesseron Cognac and H.Begey.

Champagne Pommery:

From 1858, when she took charge of the Pommery et Greno company on the death of her husband, Madame Pommery based the expansion of her house on the creation of wines like no other.

Her constant aim was to push Quality to the extreme. Aware of the importance of the origin of the grapes in guaranteeing the Quality of her wines, over the years she built up the finest vineyards in the Champagne region.

Ahead of her customers' tastes, she created the first commercially successful brut champagne, Pommery Nature 1874, breaking with the tradition of very sweet wines. A woman in a man's world, she stamped her personality on her champagnes. The purity and finesse of Pommery wines still share this feminine character.

Clément Pierlot, the tenth Pommery Cellar Master, is the guarantor of the House's style. Year after year, he carefully and precisely recreates the fragrance and flavour that distinguish Pommery champagnes. All year round, Clément Pierlot ensures that his wines are produced with the greatest respect for the environment. This concern is part of the sustainable development of our activities. Since 2014, our vineyards have held both the ‘Viticulture Durable en Champagne’ and ‘Haute Valeur Environnementale’ labels.

The Cognac industry, convinced of the importance of passing on the true identity and culture of its spirit to young sommeliers, is proud to be associated with this springboard for the new generation. The programme, put forward by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), the SMC (Syndicat des Maisons de Cognac) and 10 Cognac brands, will focus on the diversity of styles and consumption in cocktails that have made Cognac such a success around the world.

An inimitable, internationally recognised spirit, Cognac lends itself to a wide variety of tasting occasions and styles. Open to the world and cosmopolitan, this eau-de-vie inherited from a centuries-old history is dynamically in tune with the times.

Cognacs inspire sommeliers and bartenders the world over, and bring together epicureans who appreciate authentic, elegant local products.

Today, cognacs are consumed in almost 160 countries. Every day, more than 4,400 winegrowers, over 120 distillers and almost 240 trading houses work together to produce cognac within an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée.

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is a partner in the competition, convinced that it is essential to pass on to young sommeliers the heritage of a region that combines tradition and modernity, in order to shine on the international wine scene.

Since 2005, METRO France has supported the competition, which puts the spotlight on the sommelier profession, passionate young students and gastronomy. Created in 1971, METRO France is today the leading supplier to the French catering industry. For over 50 years, METRO France has shared with restaurants and independent retailers the same passion for the product and the same desire to excel. The promotion of the French agricultural sector plays an important role, highlighting quality French products by working with local producers and French SMEs.

Pic is a partner of the Concours du Meilleur Elève Sommelier en Vins et Spiritueux de France M. CHAPOUTIER 2025. Anne-Sophie Pic's cuisine is as sensitive as it is daring. Her love of nature and produce feeds her culinary inspiration on a daily basis. At the heart of Anne-Sophie Pic's creative process lies a philosophy known as Imprégnation, which is also pursued in the creation of unique food and beverage pairings. Winner of 3 Michelin stars for her Pic*** restaurant in Valence, Anne-Sophie Pic has transformed the family business that was born three generations ago. For the past 30 years, Anne-Sophie Pic, in charge of creation, and her husband, David Sinapian, in charge of management and strategy, have dedicated themselves to the development and success of their company, Pic. There are now 8 restaurants open in France and abroad that share her creative universe, testifying to her openness to the world and her curiosity to explore new terroirs.

A brilliant career ahead

Winning the competition opens up a world of opportunities, right up to the most prestigious Michelin-starred establishments. Encounters with personalities from the world of wine are more numerous, and entry into the profession is assured. As demonstrated by the career of Baptiste Gillet Delrieu, winner of the 2012 edition, who joined the brigade at the Bristol in Paris before becoming Director of Sommellerie.

Bastien Debono, Sommelier at Yoann Conte's restaurant La Table, was elected France's Best Sommelier 2025 and won the prize for Best Sommelier Student in Wines and Spirits in 2013.

Winners and non-winners alike, some of the greatest names in sommellerie have been revealed by this prestigious competition. Runner-up in 1994, David Biraud is Head Sommelier at Thierry Marx's Sur Mesure restaurant, having been elected Meilleur Ouvrier de France Sommellerie in 2004 and runner-up in the World's Best Sommelier Competition in 2016. Also runner-up at MES in 2006, Xavier Thuizat was elected Meilleur Ouvrier de France and Meilleur Sommelier de France in 2022. He is currently Head Sommelier at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. These achievements also underline France's outstanding training in this field.

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