What I found very refreshing when I met Hugues Lepin, was that he seemed focused on clients before everything and appeared very open minded. He told me that you had to have a good understanding of the customer first in order to be a good sommelier. And this is great because thanks to Hugues and other sommeliers of his generation, the era of the old posh and arrogant sommelier is over. Yes, you can have a chat with Hugues no matter what your wine knowledge is, and yes you can learn and bit more about wine with him without the impression that you require a degree first. Picture below: Hugues Lepin at the "Table Lumiere" - Alain Ducasse Restaurant - Dorchester Hugues very kindly took the time for our interview run at the “Table Lumiere” of the restaurant. I must say that the Table Lumiere, almost completely surrounded by a lightened curtain is truly magnificent. Picture below: Private dining room - Alain Ducasse Restaurant - Dorchester Olivier Bourseau: Hugues Lepin, you are the Head Sommelier at Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Dorchester. You worked previously at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant at the Claridges. Please could you tell us a bit more about your background in the industry? Hugues Lepin: I arrived in London 5 years ago and started working at the Bleeding Heart as sommelier. I then moved to the Louis XV, Alain Ducasse's 3-Michelin-star restaurant in Monaco. I have worked there for about 1 year, alongside Head chef sommelier Noel Bajor and that's also where I have developed my passion for wine and wine service in gastronomic restaurants. I then joined for one season the team at the Bar & Boeuf, Alain Ducasse's seasonal one-Michelin-star restaurant in Monaco, before coming back to London in September 2006 as chef sommelier at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s. When the Groupe Alain Ducasse announced its plan to open a new gastronomic restaurant in London, I was very keen to be part of this exciting experience and joined as Head sommelier. Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester opened in last November and I have since then very much enjoyed the opportunity to work with the Alain Ducasse team. Olivier Bourseau: Have you always thought you would work as a sommelier and when did the passion for wine start? Hugues Lepin: I have always loved food and wine but never thought that I would one day become a sommelier. My passion for wines only became obvious to me whilst working at the Bleeding Heart in London and the Louis XV in Monaco. More specifically, I learned what being a sommelier is all about during my time at the Louis XV, meaning attention to details, passion for wine, knowledge, and continuous learning experience. Picture below: The "Table Lumiere" - Alain Ducasse Restaurant - Dorchester Olivier Bourseau: What in your opinion makes a good sommelier? Hugues Lepin: Knowledge combined with an excellent understanting of the customer's needs and wishes. A sommelier should always keep in mind that wine is a passion to be shared with the customer, and always try and put himself at the level of his customers. A good sommelier should never patronlise its customer! Furthermore, a good sommelier should always question him and remain open to all what is happening in the wine industry. A sommelier can never pretend to know everything; the wine industry keeps evolving together with the vintages and even the daily weather! A good sommelier can only endeavour to know as much as possible... that's one of most intrinsic challenges that our job entails! To conclude I would also say that a sommelier should great communication skills - not only towards his clients, but also towards his suppliers, wine producers, its sommelier counterparts, and its team. Being a Head Sommelier is about managing: it requires strong management and organisation skills Picture below: The Cellar - Alain Ducasse Restaurant - Dorchester Olivier Bourseau: Sommelier is quite a demanding job as you have to be on your feet most of the day, and after the service time, you have to take care of the logistics too. Could you tell us about a normal day at work? Hugues Lepin: I come early in the morning to process all the orders and amend the wine list as required. I usually enter the restaurant around 10.30am to help my team doing what is called "the mise en place” and to check that each and every detail in the restaurant room and our cellar is in accordance with the restaurant's standards. Then, I focus on the two services, lunch and dinner. During the afternoon, I’m back in the office to check my emails and finalise office work. Once a week, I try to organise a tasting with the team, to talk about wine in general and the specific wine we taste. Picture below: Main dining room - Alain Ducasse Restaurant - Dorchester Olivier Bourseau: How was the wine list put together at Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Dorchester and how closely do you work with food? Hugues Lepin: Our wine list is the result of a team effort. I and Gérard Margeon, Wine Director at the Alain Ducasse Group, first put the wine list together. We then had to work closely with the Chef to agree on the best food / wine pairing arrangements for all the items on the menu. This has been a very enjoyable experience that included food tastings as well as a series of seriously interesting talks with the knowledge of Gerard Margeon about the characteristics of each meal and wine. Picture below: Hugues Lepin checking on his wine list at the "Table Lumiere" - Alain Ducasse Restaurant - Dorchester Olivier Bourseau: What is your favourite wine region or type of wine, and the one which you would like to have more on your wine list? Hugues Lepin: I am very fond of Burgundy wines in general and this region is already well developed on the wine list of Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester. However, there is no one wine that we would like to have more on our wine list. As I said earlier, the wine industry is in constant evolution and so is our wine list supposed to be. Therefore, Gérard Margeon and I are in constant search for interesting wines... Olivier Bourseau: Thank you very much Hugues!