Association of Sommeliers of Lyon and Rhône-Alpes

Association Rhône-Alpes and Lyon

Association of Sommeliers of Lyon and Rhône-Alpes

50 years and a premising future!

An exceptional year ends for the association chaired by Laurent Derhé. Proud of its four Best Craftsmen of France (MOF), it celebrated half a century of existence and the assertion of new talents during an evening organized at Paul Bocuse’s in the Abbey of Collonges.

1 – The great family of the sommeliers of Lyon gathered beside their president Laurent Derhé.

Lyon, the capital of the Gauls, became, for a day, the capital of the French sommellerie. With at first the board meeting of the Union of the French Sommellerie organized in the lounges of Sofitel. A meeting which allowed to evoke in particular the general states of the sommellerie planned in Nîmes, on January 12th. As for Philippe Faure-Brac he announced the dates of the selection tests of the MOF. The 88 candidates will thus be convened in Paris on November 16th and 17th and the finalists will necessarily have to go through the last tests before March 8th, 2015. The next stage of the programme was clearly less studious. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of its creation, the Association of Sommeliers of Lyon and Rhône-Alpes (ASLERA), chaired by Laurent Derhé, invited the guests in the gardens for an aperitif offered by various houses of Champagne, then in the lounges of the Abbey of Collonges, at Paul Bocuse’s, for the dinner.
Although he is the eighth president who manages this association, he did not miss to pay tribute to all those who preceeded him. “The friendship is the keyword. And it is this friendship that gathered a few comrades beside Roger Borgeot in 1964. He then was the owner of the restaurant La Tassée. An ambassador of wine and especially Chiroubles.” The important place of the women Roger Chapelant then Alain Hurteau took over the presidency before passing the reins over to Maryse Allarousse. “A grande dame of the sommellerie. Besides being a president with cares for all and nearly maternal advices, she was one of those who demonstrated the importance of the place of the women in the world of the sommeliers like Danièle Carré-Cartal and Eva Szabo”, Laurent Derhé also underlined. Prematurely gone, Daniel Denis became a president at the turn of the century. Arnaud Chambost, first MOF of Lyon, succeeded him in 2002 before leaving the place to Fabrice Sommier. “Our association now totals 80 members, especially numerous young people who accompany us from their training then their integration in the professional world.” Moreover, they have been involved in the gala dinner to comment the wines, from Jean-Louis Chave's white Hermitage 2000 to the Cerdon rosé of Domaine de la Dentelle de Marcel. “At their side, we are proud to be the teachers of a kind lifestyle and the ambassadors of our vineyards, the Rhone valley, Beaujolais, Bugey, Forez and Roanne.”
This evening was the opportunity to highlight Henri Piot, one of the pioneers of the association, and also Jean-Pierre Bareille who developed the complementary mention to the vocational training centre (CFA) of Dardilly. The latter received from Michel Hermet's hands, the president of the UDSF, the golden bunch of Master Sommelier with as much surprise as emotion.Jean Bernard

2 – The Best Craftsmen of France of the ASLERA honoured the cuvee

made for and with them by Duval-Leroy.

3 – Laurent Bouvier (president of Toques Blanches Lyonnaises), Laurent Derhé

and Michel Hermet congratulated Henri Piot, one of the first members of the association.

4 – Michel Widehem, Michel Hermet, Jean-Pierre Bareille

(new UDSF Master Sommelier) and Laurent Derhé.

5 - Four of the eight sommeliers who presided over the association of Lyon:

Arnaud Chambost, Maryse Allarousse, Laurent Derhé and Fabrice Sommier.