Article written by Yanna Delière
Adèle Le Bail is only 22 and still in training — and yet she already excels. A finalist in the 2026 Meilleur Apprenti de France (Best Apprentice in France) Sommellerie competition, she single-handedly embodies the sommellerie of tomorrow, glimpsed even before it fully blossoms.
When passion becomes a project
After a general baccalauréat and a BTS (two-year higher diploma) in Hotel and Restaurant Management in Lozère, Adèle deliberately chose to specialise in sommellerie — not by chance, but out of conviction. A bold choice in a field that can still be daunting for its high standards and its sometimes elitist image. Her place in the final of the 2026 MAF Sommellerie confirms that rigour and ambition can go hand in hand with youth.
Why this encounter?
Behind the scenes of my choice
I was lucky enough to meet Adèle at the MAF Sommellerie, where I was on the jury. What struck me straight away was the rare combination of seriousness and lightness she gives off — determined, attentive, with a sparkling, lively personality. She is still at school — and yet she already knows exactly who she wants to be. Closing this series with her was no coincidence: Adèle embodies exactly what this series set out to show — that the future of the profession is in very good hands.
THE CALLING: THE TURNING POINT
What was the first wine or the first encounter that made you say: “This is what I want to do with my life”?
Sommellerie came to me as an exciting intellectual challenge, offering an endless world of knowledge. Captivated by the art of blind tasting, I hesitated for a long time before taking the plunge, intimidated by the stature of this profession.
The real turning point came two years ago, during a meal at the Michelin-starred restaurant La Mécanique des Frères Bonano, near Béziers. The food and wine pairing created by head sommelier Benjamin Bonano carried me away. He showed me a blend of passion, know-how and sincere simplicity. That day, I understood that this was the job I wanted to do — and what kind of sommelier I wanted to be: humble and passionate, entirely devoted to conveying the product rather than showcasing myself.
Hospitality is a demanding world. What gives you the strength and energy to commit fully, despite the hours and the pace?
I have a temperament that thrives in dynamic, well-structured environments. But what really gives me the energy to push past the fatigue of the hours and the pace is the idea of sharing. I love the idea of taking guests on a journey. For me, the daily challenge is to pass on my passion for the product while making the world of wine accessible. I want to break the cliché that wine is only for experts. Every bottle and every guest is unique, and I remain convinced that a sincere, authentic exchange is enough to make everyone want to discover new things.
THE GENERATION GAP
When you tell your friends you’re studying sommellerie, how do they react? Is wine a “dusty” drink for your generation?
When I told my friends outside the restaurant world that I was studying wine, their first reaction was surprise, quickly followed by curiosity. For many, wine is still an “old people’s” drink. Curious, they bombarded me with questions: “Can you really smell all those aromas, or is it just sommelier theatrics?” Then comes the moment when they imitate me, swirling the wine in the glass with a haughty look.
After these moments of laughter comes the part they all prefer: challenging me, over a shared meal, to guess the wine in my glass. Given how little they know about the subject, identifying a Burgundy grape wasn’t very difficult… But never mind: it made them dream and allowed them to appreciate my profession in their own way.
How does your generation drink wine? Are you looking for the label, the grape variety, or just a relaxed moment of sharing?
It really depends on who I’m sharing the wine with. Among fellow sommeliers, we’re above all looking for discovery — whether a region or a grape variety we rarely taste — with the aim of broadening our knowledge. With friends from other backgrounds, on the other hand, the choice is more about a bottle suited to the moment, focused on sharing and keeping things simple, just to enjoy the moment over a lovely cuvée.
A VISION OF THE FUTURE
How do you picture your role in 5 or 10 years? And what makes a “good sommelier” in 2026, in your view?
In my view, a “good” sommelier is someone passionate about the whole world of drinks, able to adapt precisely to their guests’ expectations. Today, alcohol consumption is falling, and a sommelier needs to be very open-minded so that every guest can have a good time, whether they’re a connoisseur or not. That means taking an interest in new trends, especially alcohol-free drinks.
Whether through wine or other drinks, I see myself as a warm sommelier who builds a simple, relaxed dialogue. Guests often don’t dare ask questions for fear of looking stupid. So it will be essential for me to remind them, through a caring attitude, that we are there to advise them and that it’s perfectly normal for them not to master the science of wine.
FINAL WORDS
If you had to sum up in a single sentence what wine and sommellerie mean to you?
Somewhere between rigorous work and comforting escape, sommellerie is my passion. Through its aromas, wine awakens my childhood memories and gives me the satisfaction of learning a little more every day.
In summary: the key takeaways from our interview
Through Adèle Le Bail’s eyes, tomorrow’s sommellerie takes shape with disarming freshness. She reminds us of a truth that seasoned professionals sometimes forget: for her generation, wine is still seen as an “old people’s” drink. But behind this prejudice lies immense curiosity, ready to awaken as soon as you speak to it with sincerity and without condescension.
What also stands out in her testimony is her broad vision of the profession. Adèle doesn’t talk about sommellerie in the strict sense — she talks about drinks, in the plural. A natural open-mindedness, carried by her generation, that makes tomorrow’s sommelier an expert far beyond the wine glass.
But it is perhaps on accessibility that she is most convincing. Her ambition is not to shine — it is to put guests at ease, give them confidence, and remind them that they have the right not to know. In a world where wine can still intimidate, Adèle Le Bail embodies the figure of the “sommelier-guide”, whose greatest achievement will be not to impress, but to pass on.