Brett, The Wine Maestro

The first time that I met Christophe Menozzi was a few years ago when he ran a small hotel restaurant in Doucier in the heart of the Jura. Later we enjoyed a great meal as well as a fascinating tasting of various Jura wines in his restaurant in Besançon.

A decade ago Christophe won a string of sommelier awards whilst he was still working in Switzerland including the Ruinart best sommelier of Suisse Romande in 1999, best sommelier of Jura Franche Comté in 2000 and Maitre Sommelier de France in 2001.

At the beginning of September we visited him in his new role as sommelier at the Michelin-starred hotel and restaurant Château de Germigney in Port Lesney, 10 miles north of Arbois.

Dapper, dedicated and diligent Christophe is a great ambassador for the wines and food of the Jura. His knowledge of the intriguing wines of this region, his ability to pair their great variety of flavours with local, national and international dishes is matched by his awareness of all that goes on in the Jura.

Very hard working he always has time to encourage others, sharing his enthusiasm for colleagues, customers and friends alike.

He is also a good interviewer, discussing the whys and wherefores with locals and visitors to the region. I just happened to bump into Christophe in March at Le Nez dans le Vert, a celebration of organic Jura wine, and you can see the resulting short video by Vins du Jura.