My Profession, My Passion
Surprisingly, I didn’t choose this profession out of passion. Rather, the passion grew with the career, and I owe that to my mother.
While my university studies in biology, biochemistry, and chemistry were deeply interesting for me, I wasn’t interested in pursuing an academic career. That’s when my mother, a wine enthusiast and admirer of the work of our winemaker friends, asked me a direct yet not-so-simple question, full of enthusiasm: “Wouldn’t you like to become an oenologist?” I was 21 at the time. I knew nothing about wine and didn’t even know what the word "oenologist" meant. To be honest, I didn’t really like wine back then. The only ones I enjoyed were the old bottles of Tavel and other rosés from my home region, the Dentelles de Montmirail, which my mother had forgotten for years in her cellar. I loved their aromas of crushed strawberries, dates, dried flowers, and caramel.
At that time, my only experiences with wine were harvesting grapes with a winemaker friend, a bit of vine grafting with another, and the micro-vinifications of my father when I was 10 years old in his elementary school class (What a wonderful time!).
What really attracted me to this profession was the challenge of entering an original and prestigious field, which at the time was not very open to women, and the difficulty of being accepted into one of the five French oenology schools.
Originally from the southern Rhône Valley, more precisely from Sablet, I became an oenologist in 1990 (Diplôme National d’Œnologue - Montpellier). I started my career by making wine in my home region (Gigondas, Sablet, Séguret) before moving to the Var, where I took on a more commercial role at Maîtres Vignerons de la Presqu’île de Saint-Tropez, as head of sales for the department.
Later, I decided to further my studies with the renowned Master of Sciences in Wine Management from the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine), a traveling program that gave me the opportunity to discover and understand the world’s major vineyards and the many facets of the wine and spirits industry. I completed my thesis in Crimea, during the collapse of the USSR, on the need for foreign investment in this historically rich wine region.
I then moved to London, where I had the pleasure of representing Roussillon vineyards to importers and wholesalers in the UK. Upon returning to France, in Toulouse, I became a partner in Terroirs & Co, a company specializing in superb artisan wines, created and led by Walter Labouyrie, a French blind tasting champion. Working closely with passionate restaurateurs, committed sommeliers, and dedicated wine merchants was a great source of motivation for me. This experience naturally allowed me to confirm my teaching abilities., and in 2019, I earned the title of certified WSET educator in London, thanks to the WiSP training center in Bordeaux, with which I work closely.
Always keen to learn, driven by both passion and professionalism, I remain an eternal student. I have completed, among others, the WSET Diploma (Level 4), the French Wine Scholar, and I am also a certified Madeira wine educator. Currently, I am undertaking the prestigious Master of Wine program, an adventure that, I know, will span several years. This program allows me to cultivate discipline, open-mindedness, international experience, communication skills, and critical thinking.
My activities in the wine Sector
My current work focuses primarily on teaching, particularly the renowned WSET courses (levels 1, 2, and 3), which I mainly offer in Toulouse. I have been working independently for many years, also offering consulting services in oenology, marketing, sales, and business.
My expertise is enriched by the diversity of my experiences in these fields, whether in technical consulting in viticulture and oenology or in marketing and commercial support, both in France and internationally. These skills are essential for producers who want to better understand and adapt to the evolving wine markets, whether to enter new segments or improve their communication and sales strategies.
Passionate about blind tasting, I am also very active in the famous Toulouse wine tasting club “In Vino Veritas,” founded over 30 years ago by Didier Sanchez, multiple French and world blind tasting champion. Every week, we organize training sessions to refine our palate and analytical tasting skills. These sessions allow me to regularly participate in various championships, such as those organized by La Revue du Vin de France or Vila Viniteca in Spain. These competitions also provide the opportunity to meet other passionate individuals, share knowledge about wines from around the world, and continuously push the limits of my tasting abilities.
My diverse education and professional experiences have given me in-depth knowledge of international vineyards and access to a global network of wine professionals, giving me a broad perspective on the wine industry. With this global vision, I consider myself a kind of “Swiss army knife” in the wine industry, capable of mastering multiple roles simultaneously. Whether in the technical field, strategic consulting, or teaching, I can adapt to different contexts and meet the specific needs of each project.
These cross-disciplinary skills allow me to offer insightful perspectives on a wide range of issues and provide tailored solutions for small-scale operations, whether they involve viticulture, oenology, commercial development, or export strategies.
My versatile approach enables me to work effectively and in a targeted way, drawing on best practices observed around the world while considering local specificities.
