8/10 Edmond Gasser: The Aesthete of Sommellerie at the Heart of Maison Pic

THE SOMMELIER AND THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE

In concrete terms, how is sommellerie adapting to climate upheaval?

In sommellerie, we observe more than we act directly on the vineyard — but our role in adaptation is far from negligible. The first thing we notice is how the aromatic profiles and the balance of wines are changing. Very hot vintages produce wines with more fragile pH and higher alcohol levels. Conversely, very rainy years such as 2021 or 2024 produce wines with more crunch, sometimes with more pronounced reduction.

Our concrete role is first to work case by case. Managing serving temperatures becomes a precision tool: slightly cooling a red that is too warm, letting a wine breathe when it needs air, using the decanter judiciously depending on the vintage. It is daily, almost artisanal work that requires a real reading of the wine in the moment.

In the medium term, our role is above all to keep the desire for wine alive in restaurants. We are in a period of declining consumption and changing habits. Our mission — and I often tell my teams this before service — is to make sure there are glasses on the tables. Glasses of anything: water, juice, tea, coffee, wine. This reflex of drinking while eating, which is fading in fragmented families and meals eaten alone, is something restaurants must preserve. And for that, you need the right people, with the right tools and the right arguments.

Do interspecific grape varieties have a future in your selections?

Yes, there will be a future — but we are still at the research stage. These varieties, PIWIs and other resistant grapes, are barely a century old at most. They offer interesting resistance, fewer treatments, more eco-responsible viticulture. But in terms of taste, we have not yet found the purity of a Pinot Noir, the complexity we expect from a great wine. I have tasted some quite successful things, but they remain less iconic, less identifiable.

The real question is finding the right terroirs for the right varieties — and that takes time. I will follow this closely, and these wines will certainly make their way onto wine lists in the future. But today, it is still a matter of groundwork and experimentation. We need to give them time to find their expression.

ALCOHOL-FREE AS AN ECONOMIC AND GASTRONOMIC LEVER

You are a strong advocate of alcohol-free offerings. Why, and what does that look like in practice at Maison Pic?

I have been criticised for it — some accused me of turning away from wine, of endangering winegrowers. But the figures speak for themselves: we sell exactly as much wine as before we had an alcohol-free offering. I pulled the statistics over five years, and the comparison is unequivocal. Alcohol-free is a complementary offering, not a competing one.

I would even say it is a catalyst. Picture this: two guests at a table, one doesn’t want to drink. Without an alcohol-free option, the one who wanted wine often feels discouraged from ordering. With a fine alcohol-free selection for one, the other is inspired instead — there is emulation, an exchange around drinks and dishes. You create momentum. It’s wonderful to watch.

At Pic, we now have around fifteen ready-to-drink alcohol-free references, not counting cocktails. Teas, infusions, crafted juices — and the world of tea is deeply connected to that of wine; the bridges are natural. This beverage offering is doing very well economically, and it contributes to the balance of the house.

What I would add is something unexpected: since I started working seriously on alcohol-free drinks, I taste wine better. I analyse differently, I understand the sequencing on the palate better. When creating drinks, I draw inspiration from wine, and this dual reading sharpens the palate. It’s an enrichment I hadn’t anticipated.

How do you handle economic pressure on wine prices?

It’s a deep conviction: if a guest doesn’t drink because of the price, we’ve got it wrong. It’s an alarm bell. Price must never be the reason for saying no. I see restaurants raising their mark-ups because they’re selling less — it’s a vicious circle that worsens exactly what we’re trying to fix.

Our approach at Pic is consistent pricing — not low, but consistent. People often tell us so, and it makes me genuinely happy. Better to sell two glasses at six euros than one glass at twenty euros now and then. And getting there means buying smart: sourcing locally, building real relationships with winegrowers, buying in volume when harvests allow. Winegrowers also have room to manoeuvre — when they feel we are long-term partners, prices adjust naturally.

I also love working with large formats. At the bistro, I serve a lot from Jeroboams, with adapted mark-ups. There’s something festive about a big bottle on the table — it creates euphoria, desire. Going out to a restaurant is a celebration. It’s up to us to remind people of that, through the temperament of our teams, the gestures of service, and generosity.

THE HEDONIST SOMMELIER & THE FUTURE OF THE PROFESSION

You speak of being a hedonist sommelier rather than an oenologist. What do you mean?

I mean we must not lose the raw pleasure of wine in favour of its technical analysis. The oenologist identifies faults and measures balance — essential work for the industry. But the sommelier must above all know how to create emotion. To know that a wine, in its moment, with the right dish, the right temperature, the right glass, can be extraordinary even if it isn’t technically perfect.

I remember a 2007 Henri Bonneau — to an oenologist, it was bretty. But that evening, with Bigorre black pork, in good company, it was superb. The wine was in its moment; it was exactly where it belonged. That’s the sommelier’s job: reading the situation, placing the right wine at the right moment, and creating an experience. Not proving that you can spot faults.

With natural wines, I take the same nuanced approach. I love drinking extremely well-made natural wines — that living, changing, fragile character of the bouquet is a different kind of tasting, almost a different discipline. But in a restaurant, I need results. I work with a few very carefully selected natural wines, and I watch their evolution extremely closely. When the faults become dominant and I no longer have arguments to defend them to a guest, I stop. It’s not a question of dogma — it’s a question of service.

Is the sommelier profession sufficiently valued? And what future do you see for it?

I’m fairly optimistic, even though I had some concerns a few months ago. We hold a privileged place in restaurants, a strong connection with chefs, real recognition. Compared with other trades in the restaurant industry, we’re quite lucky.

What worries me more is patience. The profession is learned over time — nothing replaces years spent on the job. Commis, assistant sommelier, head sommelier: this path has its virtues. You mustn’t skip steps. Of course, working hours need to change, and working conditions too — we can no longer ask an entire generation to accept what we accepted for ourselves. But progression, the time spent mastering one position before taking on another — that is irreplaceable.

A word for young people starting out in sommellerie?

Two words: curiosity and patience. Curiosity first — taste, travel, read, take an interest in everything to do with wine and drinks, never stop learning. And patience next — because this profession is built over time, and the heights it offers, the encounters, the extraordinary tables, the unforgettable wines, only reveal themselves to those who take the time to earn them.