Introducing the Honorary President of this 12th edition : Éric Goettelmann, Meilleur Ouvrier de France Sommelier

Named Best Sommelier in France in 2018, Eric Goettelmann joined the mythical Paul Bocuse restaurant in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or in January 2020. As Executive Head Sommelier on Vincent Leroux’s dream team of MOF award winners–a team that also includes a world champion!–Eric will contribute to the splendour and renown of Lyon’s gastronomy.
Passion for wine and a quest for excellence have always been his guide. “Some opportunities are earth-shaking, making you rethink everything. Paul Bocuse’s restaurant is of course one of them. Only an ambitious, inspiring and unifying project such as this could made me consider taking up a new challenge as I near my fifties.”
In joining Paul Bocuse Restaurant, Eric has embraced its ambitions and taken up its challenges. Pleased to be contributing his talent to the institution’s next chapter, Eric is also delighted to join a team with the same values. In sharing new experiences with the other sommeliers, in particular, he hopes to encourage future generations to follow in their footsteps and continue to progress in a profession that is “demanding, of course, but also of incomparable human richness in these complicated times”.
Sports to let off steam, family as a foundation, and simple things in life are what give Eric the energy required to reach for the stars.