Stephane Pommier's new business venture is taking him home to the Chablis region of France.
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In September the sommelier, winemaker and director of SOM Australia will start taking small groups of eight through the picturesque vineyards and villages of Champagne and Burgundy. Each tour will feature private wine tastings, exclusive access to winemakers, luxurious boutique accommodation and memorable dining experiences.
Pommier can't wait.
As a child growing up in Chablis he spent many hours listening to his father and his winemaker friends talking about their craft. Years later, in 1989, he studied Oenology Vitiviniculture at Maison Familiale Rurale De Grandchamp in Beaune while working at a vineyard called Domaine Jean-Paul and Benoit Droin.
In 2004 he moved to Australia and started working at McWilliam's Wines. He was then offered an opportunity to become a sommelier at Rock Restaurant in the Hunter Valley.
From 2013 to 2019 he was head sommelier at the hatted Muse Restaurant.
Pommier now makes and imports his own wine from France for SOM, and shares his knowledge and passion through wine masterclasses, education, training and events.
"Every year I go back to France and make my own wine in Chablis and bring it across to Australia, and last September I took some friends of mine with me," he said.
"We spent 16 days in Burgundy and had a really good time and they said I should consider hosting tours of the region.
"Then in November things started to get spicy in Australia with the economy - wine was still selling but not at the same speed. I knew I needed to be creative, and thought of that conversation and said 'right I'm going to do it'."
He spent several months reconnecting with representatives from houses of Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy to curate a unique tour offering.
"I told them I don't want something that the public can do. I want VIP. I want it to be created to my liking. I'm really pleased at the thought that has gone into the itinerary to make the experience unique. It's luxury, it's private, it's friendly," he said.
"That's why I don't want to have more than eight people at a time. I want us all to connect and exchange numbers and have memories as new friends. That's the key to this tour."
The tour begins in Paris where you will be privately transported to the heart of Champagne, Reims. Next stop is Chablis, then the capital of Burgundy, Beaune, as well as the villages of Cote de Beaune and the Cote de Nuits.
One of the four tours in September features a rare treat: a private tasting with Anselme Selosse from Champagne Selosse at Domaine Jacques Selosse's Hotel Restaurant Les Avises.
"You can buy a bottle of their champagne for $6000 and it always sells out," Pommier said.
"I was there in February and talking to the secretary and they told me that the kitchen was not open on a Tuesday and Monsieur Selosse doesn't do tastings on a Tuesday, and I was like 'Oh that's a shame'.
"And suddenly the door behind me opened and it was Monsieur Selosse himself. I shook his hand and we started to chat and he said 'You know what Stephane, I like you, I'm going to make an appointment on Tuesday September 10 to do a tasting for your guests and yourself'.
"How marvellous is that? A product tasting with the man himself. Holy smokes. He won't do the other weeks because he doesn't need to promote his wine, it always sells out, so I am really happy and really grateful that he agreed to do this.
"It's something very unique."
