Simply the best sommelier
How does it feel to be the best in the country?
Fantastic. Do you know this was the first time I'd entered? And it's my third sommelier competition ever. It was just something that I wanted to do.
You must have revised hard. I use the Internet a lot for research - one of my favourites is the wine quiz on the Berry Bros and Rudd website. And I always double-check everything - you can't always believe what you read.
Where did this love of wine come from? My parents were really into food, and it was my uncle who got me interested in wine.
But it wasn't until I got to catering college that I began to think that it would make a good career. I knew somebody doing the sommelier course there and invited him around to my place for dinner, asking him to choose the wines (I love cooking).
He did it so professionally that I was impressed. He brought with him wines from Alsace, which I'd never tasted. They were so distinctive. Until then, I had never been able to distinguish the different styles of wine. I liked the idea of something so specialised and I became fascinated by the vineyards, and the people behind them - why you could smell cherries in one wine, and blackcurrants in another.
What was your first brush with a serious cellar? It was during my first job, on day-release from college. I worked at the two-Michelin-starred Opera restaurant in the Grand Hotel, Paris. We had 500 wines on the list and I got to taste so much.
When did you come to the UK? After a year in Paris, I got a job at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, under Henri Chapon, then I moved to the Fifth Floor at Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge. There were more than 1,000 wines on the list, and so many from the New World which I'd never seen. I could pick up the bottles and just look at the labels.
What next? After a year backpacking around Asia, I got a job at Pont de la Tour, which is when I first met Joëlle (Marti - his boss, and mentor). Then I moved with her to the Great Eastern Hotel, and I've been working with her ever since.
What's the most important thing to consider when you're buying wine? It sounds obvious, but buy what you like yourself.
What are you into at the moment? I've just discovered the Pinot Noirs of Central Otago. And I recently went to Argentina - I love the Malbecs and Syrahs, particularly. And aged Rieslings from Australia, from the Clare Valley - they're so good.
What was most difficult about the Ruinart event? The pressure. You're aware you have to be better than the people you think are better than you. I dealt with the stress by trying to forget there was a room full of people. My attitude was: go on, give it a go. The tasting in the morning was hard, though - the room was cold; the reds were the same temperature as the whites. I tried not to complicate things too much. In the end, I thought it was quite good fun.
Why is it important to enter competitions? You learn a lot. Sommeliers tend to spend a lot of time on their own, and this way you get to spend time with other sommeliers in a work environment. Ultimately, it drives you to learn more so that you can be better at your job.
This competition is not just about the theory, it's also about being human - you shouldn't be too academic when it comes to wine.
Loic Maillet
Age: 28
Job: head sommelier, Aurora restaurant, Great Eastern Hotel, London
Born: near Paris, but grew up in the South of France
Loves: Central Otago Pinot Noir, Argentinian Malbec and old Riesling from Australia's Clare Valley
Hates: cold tasting rooms
* Champagne Ruinart UK Sommelier of the Year
Since 1992, Champagne Ruinart and the Academy of Food and Wine Service have organised the Champagne Ruinart UK Sommelier of the Year competition. This year's event attracted more than 200 entries. Testing included a written paper, a blind tasting, decanting, food and wine matching, and pouring bubbly in a steady flow from a magnum. The finals were held in London last month.
The two runners-up were Matthew Wilkin from London's Capital hotel, and Cliveden's Eric Zweibel, who were also last year's runners-up.
The winner, Loïc Maillet, can now compete in the Trophée Ruinart du Meilleur Sommelier d'Europe, which takes place every two years with sommeliers from more than 30 European countries.
Interview by Fiona Sims
