At twenty-eight, Margot Duffort is one of the most prominent personalities in the world of sommeliers in France. In 2023, she scooped up awards from her well-stocked wine cellar at Saint-Médard, near the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Gindreau, led by Chef Pascal Bardet, mentored by Alain Ducasse.
The Award
Her name is Margot Duffort, she's twenty-eight years old, and for six years, she has been the sommelier at the Le Gindreau restaurant in Saint-Médard, Lot. She was recently awarded the title of Sommelier of the Year by the Le Chef magazine. Last June, she also received recognition as the best professional in Occitania from Gault et Millau and a gold medal at the Trades Olympics in 2018.
This happened on September 25th during the annual event in the culinary world aimed at discovering the personalities of the year, including chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers, and dining directors who have left their mark with their talents in the current year. The voting was done by a jury of Michelin guide-selected chefs.
"I accept this award with great gratitude, like an applause for consistency," commented the young sommelier, originally from the Pyrenees. After obtaining a higher technical certificate in customer relations in Tarbes and a professional suitability certificate, she attended the hospitality school in Toulouse before completing a two-year sommelier training. "I come from a family of bon vivants; there have always been good things on the table and always wine."
She started as an intern at a winery in Lourdes and never looked back, choosing to specialize in the world of vines. "I first appreciated Madiran, then Jurançon. But what has always impressed me the most is Champagne; I couldn't understand how bubbles could be trapped in a bottle." At Le Gindreau, a Michelin-starred restaurant led by one of Alain Ducasse's Chef, Pascal Bardet, she started as an intern, then worked as an apprentice, eventually replacing her mentor, Florian Balzeau. The motivation is flattering and reads: "Margot Duffort sees sommelier as an integral part of a broader context encompassing culture, landscapes, and gastronomy. This vision was already acknowledged this year by Gault et Millau."
Source: ladepeche.fr
