4/10 Bastien Debono: Competition Rigour in the Service of Emotion

CLIMATE CHANGE & GRAPE VARIETIES

In the face of climate change, do you believe more in the migration of traditional grape varieties or in the emergence of interspecific varieties?

“Personally, I’m not very worried about the impact on taste. Consumers’ palates today revolve around some thirty well-known international grape varieties, and our role as sommeliers has always been to broaden that frame — offering new areas and lesser-known varieties. In Savoie, that’s my daily work: shining a light on indigenous varieties that guests never suspected. In Savoie, Jacquère has never been so good, nor Roussette so elegant.

There is obviously a flip side. Some areas will become too arid for vines — in 5, 10, 50 or 100 years, it doesn’t matter. But at the same time, new terroirs will emerge. Adaptation is the story of humanity, and grape varieties are no exception. What is certain is that the shift will be slow and gradual — nothing dramatic.

What worries me more than warming are trunk diseases such as esca, which can force you to grub up an entire vineyard after twenty years. That’s a far more immediate threat. Besides, excellent wines are still being produced in very arid areas — in Spain, in Israel — proof that well-managed viticulture, using permaculture, can adapt to almost anything.

On interspecific varieties, I remain open. I haven’t been blown away yet, but I haven’t tasted anything bad either. Their main interest is that they allow growing without inputs — fewer treatments, healthier viticulture. The quality will improve. That said, I believe above all in indigenous varieties that have managed to adapt. There are enough local treasures to revive without reinventing everything. ”

What role can sommeliers play in these changes, with guests as well as producers?

“Our clientele has changed a lot — and for the better. When I arrived here eight years ago, guests refused to taste local wines. Today, I can offer them a wine from South Africa, Argentina or a Swiss blend without the slightest resistance. That open-mindedness changes everything.

My favourite approach is blind food and wine pairing: we play on surprise and get around the fear of the label. The best ambassador for an unknown wine is the emotion it creates before you know where it comes from. Then we tell the story — the terroir, the winegrower, the grape — and curiosity does the rest. Seeing a guest who only wanted their usual wines set off to discover new bottles is the greatest reward in this job.”

CHANGING CONSUMPTION

We are seeing a drop in volume consumption and the rise of alcohol-free drinks.
How do you read this trend?

“Demand for alcohol-free is real and growing — here, in a very sporty region, it’s particularly strong. But I try to understand its deeper causes. First, there’s a generational factor: Gen Z didn’t grow up with wine culture around the family table. Rituals have changed, families have been reshaped. Wine has lost its role of natural transmission.

There is also growing regulatory and cultural pressure, embodied by the Loi Évin. When the chef wanted to make a TV programme about wine, it was legally impossible. On social media and in the press, wine is subject to the same restrictions as any other alcohol — while sodas, whose sugar is a public health enemy, enjoy complete freedom to advertise. It’s a real imbalance.

I remain sceptical about alcohol-free wines. The dealcoholisation process, which is still chemical, doesn’t convince me much. I believe more in natural alternatives: infusions, macerations, tea, naturally low-alcohol beers. Here, we offer around twenty alcohol-free drinks presented as genuine gastronomic pairings — and the corresponding turnover has doubled in two years. Still, the tables with big budgets keep drinking wine. Responsible drinking doesn’t erase pleasure.”

THE FUTURE OF THE PROFESSION

How can sommellerie be made attractive to the younger generation?

“When I started in 2013, being a sommelier outside the Michelin-starred circuit was almost frowned upon. Today, the profession has opened up and diversified — sommeliers in bistros, wine bars with food, independent hotels — and that’s a very good thing. That said, the best professionals have almost always come through the great houses. That demanding environment forges a rigour and a method you won’t find anywhere else.

The first lever for attractiveness is obviously working conditions. Today, serious houses respect working hours and days off, and use time clocks. That’s the bare minimum. But we should go further: fund trips to vineyards, support competition preparation, promote continuous training. The sommelier generates a significant share of turnover and often maintains the best customer relationships in the dining room — they deserve investment in return.

What worries me more is the loss of interest in front-of-house service. The passion has eroded. Yet without passion, you can’t do this job — it’s too demanding in terms of knowledge, curiosity and interpersonal skills. A sommelier who doesn’t dream of vineyards has no place behind a wine list. That’s both the difficulty and the beauty of the profession: you only really learn it by living it.”

Do the economic realities of fine dining worry you?

“Yes, and it’s perhaps what worries me most. In a fine-dining establishment, with overheads of 48 to 50%, margins are non-existent. The slightest slowdown — a strike, a political crisis, a rise in energy prices — is enough to put the business at risk.

Fine dining as we know it is under pressure. If the economic model doesn’t change, we’re heading towards restaurants with very few staff, simplified formats and reduced menus. The chef put the question directly to Emmanuel Macron: how can these charges be justified when they prevent us from paying teams better and keeping a local economy going? The answer didn’t live up to expectations. We’re waiting for 2027.”

FINAL WORDS

A message for tomorrow’s sommeliers?

“We do one of the finest jobs in the world — I’m convinced of it. Being paid to taste, travel, tell stories, and weave links between geology, viticulture and the table… there aren’t many professions that offer that. Coming from a modest background, I’ve had doors opened by this job that I could never have imagined. Tomorrow, I’m flying by helicopter to have lunch with a client at the Oustau de Baumanière. It’s an anecdote, but it says it all.

Yes, it’s a service job, sometimes all-consuming. But wine nourishes as much as it builds. It offers rare fulfilment, at the crossroads of culture, travel and people. For those who are hesitating: go for it, be curious, visit vineyards, work in the great houses. Passion will do the rest.”