{"id":26828,"date":"2026-07-11T16:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T14:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/non-categorise\/mikael-grou-a-winemaker-athlete\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T16:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T14:56:10","slug":"mikael-grou-a-winemaker-athlete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/chronicle\/mikael-grou-a-winemaker-athlete\/","title":{"rendered":"Mika\u00ebl Grou, a Winemaker-Athlete"},"content":{"rendered":"

During our conversation with Mika\u00ebl Grou, it quickly becomes clear that his qualification for the World Sommelier Championships is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind this selection lies a level of preparation that more closely resembles that of a top-level athlete than the idyllic image we sometimes have of a sommelier. <\/p>\n

\"ASSP
Mikael Grou in the middle of a tasting \u00a9DR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

IA Wine<\/h2>\n

For several months, the head sommelier at the Four Seasons H\u00f4tel des Bergues in Geneva engaged in a series of tastings, training sessions, role-playing exercises, and hours of reading and memorization. Because a World Championship doesn\u2019t just reward someone who can recognize a wine. \u201c \u201cKnowledge accounts for a large part of the work, but it isn\u2019t necessarily the most impressive aspect,\u201d he explains. The jury also evaluates analytical skills, general knowledge of wine and gastronomy, open-mindedness, and, above all, how a contestant performs under pressure.\u201d <\/p>\n

Times are changing faster than wineries, by the way. Among the topics now appearing in competitions is\u2026 artificial intelligence. \u201cI\u2019ve already tasted a wine made using AI. It wasn\u2019t the best wine of my life, but it was a good wine. You have to keep up with the times,\u201d sums up Mika\u00ebl Grou. This constant curiosity sums up his vision of the sommelier\u2019s craft quite well. Promoting Swiss wines, of course. But without ever limiting himself to them. \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to have a very diverse wine region. We\u2019re proud of that. But I also think competition is healthy when it\u2019s based on quality.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"FOUR
The Il Lago dining room at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva \u00a9DR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Mentor<\/h2>\n

The assessment is clear. Swiss wines appeal to visitors discovering the country, fill the cellars of wine enthusiasts, and naturally find their place on the wine lists of top restaurants. Yet, internationally, their reputation remains limited. \u201cCustomers who come to Switzerland really appreciate our wines. On the other hand, on the global market, Switzerland isn\u2019t very well positioned yet.\u201d <\/p>\n

Paolo Basso holds a special place in Mika\u00ebl Grou\u2019s career. Crowned the world\u2019s best sommelier in 2013, he is more than just a champion. \u201cHe\u2019s an example of perseverance that has almost become a philosophy,\u201d notes Mika\u00ebl. This idea of constant improvement is also reflected in his preparation and does not rely solely on books or tastings. It is fueled by a network of colleagues who, over time, have become training partners, both in Switzerland and abroad. Advice circulates, sometimes regarding details that are almost anecdotal. \u201cA former contestant told me that at the World Championship, the answer to a question was actually\u2026 on the cover of the magazine left in the contestants\u2019 hotel rooms!\u201d <\/p>\n

\"ASSP
Sommelier Mikael Grou \u00a9DR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s all in the details…<\/h2>\n

When it comes down to it, maybe that\u2019s what a world sommelier championship is all about. Of course, you have to be able to identify an Austrian Gr\u00fcner Veltliner, an Australian S\u00e9millon, or an Argentine Torront\u00e9s. You have to recognize the same wine when it\u2019s served twice under different conditions. You have to know thousands of wines by heart. <\/p>\n

But you also have to know how to manage your stress, stay curious, notice what others overlook, and accept that the biggest differences sometimes come down to the smallest details. In Lisbon, Mika\u00ebl Grou will be representing Switzerland. \u201cYou\u2019re representing your country, but the performance is still an individual one. You can be perfectly prepared. But if you don\u2019t manage your stress well on the big day, everything can fall apart.\u201d Perhaps that sentence also sums up his profession. Be ready. Observe. Adapt. And keep learning, glass after glass. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Behind every glass lie thousands of hours of work. As a qualifier for the World Sommelier Championships, Mika\u00ebl Grou offers a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation process, where curiosity, precision, and composure are just as important as a refined palate. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":26829,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"Mika\u00ebl Grou, a Winemaker-Athlete | Restaurant Geneva | Edouard Amoiel","description":"Behind every glass lie thousands of hours of work. As a qualifier for the World Sommelier Championships, Mika\u00ebl Grou offers a behind-the-scenes look at the prep"},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_restaurants-par-lieux":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_style-de-restaurant":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[356],"tags":[],"restaurants-par-lieux":[353],"style-de-restaurant":[],"class_list":["post-26828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chronicle","restaurants-par-lieux-geneva"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26828"},{"taxonomy":"restaurants-par-lieux","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/restaurants-par-lieux?post=26828"},{"taxonomy":"style-de-restaurant","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/style-de-restaurant?post=26828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}