The Restaurant Colette has put together an enthusiastic and highly qualified team. This month, we are pleased to present to you Bastien Escale, sommelier at the Restaurant Colette. In this question-and-answer session, you’ll discover someone who is truly passionate about his work.
What was your background prior to arriving at the Sezz?
I started my journey with my father, who had his own restaurant. That’s how I took my first steps in the restaurant business at the age of 14/15.
Subsequently, I worked in the summer seasons on the beaches of Saint Tropez before joining the hotel school in Marseille where I discovered my passion for the profession and for wine. I’d like to say a thank you to the teachers there. I owe them a lot.
During my career, I had the chance to develop at the Bastide de St Tropez (where I met the chef Philippe Colinet), at the two-star La Grenouillère with Alexandre Gauthier, then in Marseille at L’Epuisette, a one-star restaurant. I was also a maître d’hôtel with the Radisson Blu group. My last experience before joining the Sezz was going to the United States to improve my English. I joined a private club in Saint Louis, Missouri. It was a very nice project, notable for having some $500,000 of stock in its cellar, with more than 2,500 different kinds of wine.
What attracted you to the idea of joining the team?
I chose the Sezz because I found the challenge to be an appealing one. To join the team of a freshly starred restaurant, improve the wine list on offer and add to it, especially from among the local Provence wines. Another major attraction, of course, was the setting of the magnificent Hôtel Sezz.
What are your roles and responsibilities within the team?
My main role is, of course, to advise and support the guests in all aspects of our wine offer. I take the orders as well as provide the wine service, my primary objective being to guide customers to the best of my abilities according to their tastes and their food orders.
I also take care of purchases and replenishment of stocks.
One of the responsibilities that is close to my heart is sharing my knowledge with the rest of the team. Every day we can have an exchange of views and experiences regarding the wines and their characteristics, particularly through tastings. The team is very receptive, and it makes me want to continue indefinitely!
What’s your favourite wine for the 2021 season?
My big crush in 2021 is Fondugues Pradugues, Ramatuelle, a magnificent estate with very fine wines. In particular, their Eau de Source, one of their rosés. I was really impressed by its uniqueness when I tasted it, and I’m not a big fan of rosé wines. I also use the Rouge D’été cuvée from Fondugues Pradugues in food and wine pairings.
My current second favourite is the Val D’Astier family estate in Cogolin. Elegant white wines and surprising reds. I suggest the Seign cuvée in food and wine pairings.
My vision is really to highlight the local wines of Provence that deserve to be discovered.
And finally, do you have a little anecdote from the Sezz?
Ah, yes. One day a client told me she was allergic to wines from Provence! That made me smile!
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Restaurant Colette, a unique setting, a singular signature and a modern concept
