Experienced sommelier Olivier Bompas now journalist at Le Point magazine

Sommellerie Languedoc-Roussillon

Experienced sommelier

Olivier Bompas

now journalist at Le Point magazine

Thanks to fateful encounters, the professional from Nîmes's career took different turns. He has no regrets as he leaves the presidency of the association of sommeliers of Languedoc-Roussillon-Southern Rhone Valley in order to commit himself in his new life, that of journalist.

In next January, five years after he was elected president of the association of sommeliers of Languedoc-Roussillon-Southern Rhone Valley, Olivier Bompas will not run for a new term. “It would make no sense to keep on, the place of president is for somebody justified in terms of sommellerie”, the 49-year-old man native from Nîmes explains. He steps back—without intending to leave the French Sommellerie Union—as life offered him to take a significant turn a few months ago. The second shift in his professional life …
With a baccalauréat in literature, the cuisine enthusiast entered the catering and hotel business school of Thonon-les-Bains where he passed a vocational qualification in restaurant services before heading for London. “For the Roux brothers, I served in the private lounges of a merchant bank …”. 18 months later he went back to Nîmes. At the very moment when Patrick Pagès, regional president of the sommeliers and starred-chef in the Lozère department, is building up a team for a major project that should conclude with his settlement at the Cheval Blanc in front of the arenas. “I wished to work in the kitchen and he needed a sommelier. For two months in Lozère he gave me plenty of books and the key of his cellar. I could open whatever bottle I wanted provided we tasted them together!.”

Paris, Espace Hérault and the UDSF

At the end of this strange trial, the project in Nîmes seeming to be compromised, Patrick Pagès proposed his young student to join Paris and Espace Hérault that he got the concession of. “I went for a three-month replacement period and I stayed for ten years … Ten extraordinary years during which Patrick never ceased helping me in progressing and opened doors to me.”
Especially those of the UDSF. “I met Jean Frambourt, participated in the Thursday tastings with Philippe Faure-Brac, Olivier Poussier, Gérard Margeon, Jean-Michel Deluc and all the others. I am still grateful to those grand sommeliers for their welcoming me among the happy few as nothing foreordained I would once join them.” Olivier Bompas has been so well-integrated in the Association of Sommeliers of Paris that he became their treasurer with Jean-Luc Jamrozik, the current president, to help him.

“As for Espace Hérault, it was the genuine embassy for the Languedoc-Roussillon wines. Today's greatest wine growers of that region benefitted from the promotion actions we organised in Paris. We took part in the revival of the vineyard through communication and image.”

Olivier Bompas discovered the UDSF thanks to Jean Frambourt, national president at that time.

From Gault Millau to Le Point

In Paris, he crossed paths with Jacques Dupont and Pierre Crisol. “They came to discover new wine growers in the region and one day they took me in their tasting committee for Gault Millau. I started writing little accounts, then I worked on food and wine pairings and I even had a column about cigars. When Pierre Crisol died, Jacques relied on me more and more often. Together we signed 7 Special Wine issues for Gault Millau and today we total some fifteen for Le Point.”
Olivier Bompas continued this job of columnist when he went back to Nîmes in 2000. Trainer at the Wine University of Suze-la-Rousse, wine expert at the auction house of Avignon, speaker in the training institutions about Languedoc wines, he also broadened the subjects of his columns. “During 5 years I signed all the food and wine pairings of the magazine Régal. But it mainly is Le Point that has taken a much more important place in my life. The development of the special wine website forced me into a decision in last december. And my life is now only turned to the occupation of journalist. But I remain a sommelier, a professional with an atypical path. I have worked with the greatests without ever having worked in a luxury hotel, and even if I lacked some basis, I have always practiced with passion. Now although I didn't study journalism I feel at ease in the job. My sommelier knowledge added with a certain capacity in writing make things easier.”
Two assets that also convinced the Hachette editions. For them, he worked on food and wine pairing handbooks. Logic for someone who became a sommelier although dreaming to become a chef!
Jean Bernard