Article written by Yanna Delière
One of the most brilliant track records of his generation and, since 2024, head of KEDGE Wine School — David Biraud has chosen teaching as his new horizon. Here he shares a clear-eyed vision of the future of the vineyard and the profession.
From the kitchen to the revelation of the glass
Originally from La Roche-sur-Yon, David Biraud did not always have his eyes fixed on cellars. At first, it was the sizzle of pans and the bustle of kitchens that drew him. He began his career aiming to become a cook, fascinated by the transformation of raw produce.
Yet during his apprenticeship, an encounter turned everything upside down: wine. It was a true revelation. This world he had thought of as secondary suddenly became central. He realised that wine is not just an accompaniment but an architecture of flavours capable of elevating the chef’s work. These culinary beginnings remain his signature: to this day, his way of tasting is deeply shaped by this intimate understanding of textures, juices and balance.
A career marked by the elite and by challenges
David Biraud built his experience in France’s greatest houses. From his formative years at the Crillon to his long tenure as head of sommellerie at the Mandarin Oriental alongside Thierry Marx, he has always worked in the world of Michelin-starred fine dining.
But David Biraud is above all a man of great challenges. Crowned Best Sommelier of France 2002 and Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) 2004, he has represented France in many international competitions, regularly reaching European and world podiums. His career is a lesson in resilience and discipline, making him one of the sharpest technicians of his generation.
Teaching as a new horizon
After fourteen years of an emblematic collaboration with Thierry Marx, David Biraud chose in September 2024 to put his expertise at the service of academic teaching by taking the helm of KEDGE Wine School. There he now shapes programmes of excellence for the next generation of the wine industry.
At the same time, with his company Clos Selection, he continues to use his talent as a sourcer and strategist. As a cellar architect for private collectors and restaurateurs, he remains at the heart of the market, combining the rigour of teaching with the reality of the field. This dual role makes him one of the few experts able to bring together teaching, the demands of competition and the economic strategy of wine.
Why this encounter?
Behind the scenes of my choice
Including David Biraud in my series was a priority to address the transformation of the vineyard and of the sommelier’s profession, and to understand his current vision of sommellerie.
Hearing his perspective means benefiting from the analysis of an expert who has watched the profession transform over three decades. His testimony brings to our “index of perspectives” a dimension of wisdom and hindsight that is essential to grasp tomorrow’s challenges.
The vineyard and the climate challenge
What future for our vineyards in the face of global warming?
“What we’re experiencing today goes beyond the simple question of warming. We’re in the era of consequences: melting ice, shifting ocean currents, disrupted winds. The result is a chaotic climate that no longer works in cycles but in spikes. In a few hours, a month’s worth of rain can fall. Frost strikes in March after a mild winter. Hail destroys entire harvests. It’s not only the vine that suffers — it’s all of agriculture.
Some winegrowers wonder whether they will be able to keep living from their production alone. In the south of France, mixed farming is increasingly developing. Given all this, I sincerely believe in the emergence of new wine regions. Brittany, for example, comes to mind straight away. And if you go back a few centuries, areas such as the Paris basin were heavily planted with vines before disappearing — they could well come back.
Winegrowers such as Nicolas Rossignol in Volnay have already grasped the problem: in good years, he builds up stocks to offset the difficult ones. As his grandfather used to say, only one vintage in three is truly decent. It’s a form of smart hoarding — but it only works for well-established estates.
I also firmly believe in France’s historical ampelographic reservoir. We have old varieties, balanced varieties, that deserve to be brought back into the spotlight rather than betting everything on creations from the 1950s and 60s such as Marselan or Caladoc. These resistant varieties have their qualities, of course, but I trust the adaptability of our traditional varieties — provided we give them the chance.”
Are appellation regulations suited to these upheavals?
“That’s where the real problem lies. We need a revolution in our appellation decrees and an update of our wine legislation. Appellations are huge machines created a hundred years ago. Today, they absolutely must update themselves to adapt to current climatic conditions.
One example struck me deeply: in Chablis, I saw experimental trials with protective covers over the buds. Fabien Moreau, of Domaine Christian Moreau, explained that it was still being studied — and that these covers weren’t authorised because they were considered ‘greenhouse growing’. You protect buds for a month and a half to avoid frost, and the regulations call it a greenhouse. It’s rigid to the point of absurdity.
Is putting up hail nets to save a harvest really scandalous? Does protecting buds during March frosts fundamentally change the taste of the wine? No. It saves production. Winegrowers cannot stand by and watch their vineyards being destroyed. The authorities must realise that supporting our growers also means relaxing regulations that were not designed for this world.”
What role can the sommelier play in this transformation of the vineyard?
“The sommelier’s most specific role is to guide consumers towards unsuspected or little-known vineyards. Introducing areas that are still untouched, enabling some winegrowers to make a living on new terroirs, diversifying demand — that’s where the sommelier truly becomes a scout for new discoveries.
Twenty years ago, we used ready-made lists. Today, we have to go and see what’s being done in the Côtes de Toul, in Auvergne, in Brittany, in Valençay…”
Changing consumption
Are alcohol-free drinks and dealcoholised wines a deep-seated trend or a passing phenomenon?
“I’ll be honest: so far, dealcoholised wines haven’t convinced me. I’ve tried many, including at Torres in Spain, which has been working on dealcoholisation since 2008. There’s a lack of substance on the mid-palate, a disconnect between what you perceive on the nose and what you feel in the mouth — which is perfectly logical, since alcohol plays a fundamental role in the texture and roundness of wine.
Ethically, it also pains me a little. Winegrowers devote their lives to making wines, only to see them go off for industrial dealcoholisation and synthetic flavouring — for me, that’s in the same bag as people who want a vegetarian merguez with the shape, colour and taste of merguez. At some point, if you don’t want merguez, eat properly cooked lentils. Dealcoholised wine is often an attempt to pass something off as what it isn’t.
On the other hand, alcohol-free drinks that fully own what they are — grape musts, organic plant decoctions, bark infusions, teas crafted as gastronomic pairings — those genuinely win me over. There are some very fine successes. And economically, they’re essential: in a fine-dining establishment, drinks represent a vital additional source of revenue. We can’t afford not to meet this demand.”
Does falling consumption among young people worry you?
There’s a phenomenon I see regularly that annoys me: at a table of four or five, the person who doesn’t want to drink often speaks first, and it spreads to the rest of the table. Those who would have liked a nice glass of wine end up going without so as not to look like alcoholics. There’s a demonisation of drinking that I find deeply damaging.
Loving wine doesn’t make you an alcoholic. It means having a culture of craftsmanship, know-how and history. True wine lovers know exactly when to stop — not because they fear what others think, but because they listen to how they feel. I prefer to talk about intelligent drinking rather than moderation: the idea that this glass will give me pleasure in taste, not satisfy a need for alcohol.
On young people, I’d add some nuance. The drop in consumption is real, but young people in the past didn’t necessarily drink better — they often drank poor-quality alcohol, which was no school of wine. What’s missing today is a reconnection with wine’s codes: how to understand a red wine, how to get to grips with its tannins and bitterness. Red wine has perhaps become too intimidating. That’s where you see the appeal of white and rosé wines, more accessible and more immediate. We need to demystify certain appellations and think about wines of direct pleasure that make young people want to reclaim this culture. Incidentally, I was struck by the number of young people at the last Bordeaux Tasting.
The future and training for the sommelier’s profession
How has the sommelier’s profession evolved, and what profile will be expected tomorrow?
“When I started, each brigade had its own patch — the dining room on one side, sommellerie on the other. Those days are over. Today’s sommelier is a fully fledged member of the front-of-house team, with an additional skill: knowing how to taste, buy, manage and generate real added value in turnover. Versatility is no longer optional.
What’s also changing is the end of the race for references. There are sanctuaries that deserve to exist, extensive lists that make sense in certain temples of gastronomy. But for an establishment that wants to thrive, the beauty of a sommelier’s work lies in a short, rotating selection — a well-chosen, judicious, clever core range, with impeccable serving temperatures. I’ve met young people who opened a wine bar with a very short list renewed every quarter out of necessity — they didn’t have the space to store wine. And in the end, it’s brilliant: it’s as exciting as a chef rethinking the menu with the seasons. Customers come back to see what has changed.
Above all, tomorrow’s sommelier must be accountable. If you’re entrusted with a €100,000 purchasing budget, that €100,000 must turn into revenue fairly quickly — not into extra lines on a list that don’t sell. Buying for your own pleasure without pleasing your boss is money left sleeping. A good sommelier strikes the balance between wines that generate turnover and wines that build the house’s reputation.”
Final words
A word for young people hesitating to go into sommellerie?
“Go for it. It’s a wonderful profession where you’re never bored. It requires you to move around, to be curious, to meet absolutely incredible people — in the agricultural, wine and gastronomic worlds. It forces you to be rigorous, a good manager and passionate. It’s not a job you can do halfway: if you’re not passionate about wine, it will show very quickly.
France has a sommellerie training system that every country envies. The specialist sommellerie diplomas, the BPs and the competitions that are starting to make waves — all of this creates real momentum. There are lulls, as in every profession. But there is a real need for hands-on sommeliers who can get to work quickly and bring their establishments to life. It’s a profession that nourishes you as much personally as professionally — and that won’t change.”
In summary: the key takeaways from our interview
Through the eyes of David Biraud, the sommellerie of 2026 takes shape as a profession of conviction and agility. Far from the clichéd image of the mere tasting expert, the modern sommelier asserts themselves as a true manager, a scout for terroirs and, above all, a champion of common sense in the face of absurd regulations.
From the necessary revolution of appellations in the face of climate chaos to the emergence of new wine regions such as Brittany, David Biraud reminds us that wine is a living material that cannot remain frozen in decrees from another century. While he rejects the pretence of industrial dealcoholisation, he enthusiastically embraces the creativity of natural alternatives, seeing them as an intelligent response to new drinking habits.
Ultimately, his message is clear: sommellerie is a school of curiosity and rigour. A profession in which, to last, you must reconcile the poetry of meeting winegrowers with the economic reality of the field. A profession that, despite the challenges, has lost none of its power to fascinate.