Meet Léha, the Gold Medal-winning Sommelier from Normandy | La Presse de la Manche

The wait was long. Very long. “It was hell! I wasn’t very confident,” recalls Léha Le Moal, a 22-year-old Cherbourgeoise. And then liberation: a gold medal in the Norman competition one of the best apprentices in France “, in sommelierobtained at the end of a rich day of trials.

He had to do a 30-minute writing on knowledge of French vineyards, sensory analysis of two wines, blind recognition of five products, decanting and serving wine, a marketing situation, and answer general culture questions. “It was a bit sporty! For the gold medal, you had to have at least a score of 17 out of 20, there is no competition between the candidates. »

“I like having too much work”

Thing done, therefore, for those who follow a work-study program at the Cherbourg branch of the FIM group and works at Cavavinin the pedestrian streets of Cherbourg (Manche). “I started in octoberand it will end in the month of June next. »

This gold medal is a just reward for Léha Le Moal, who “likes having too much work”. Smiling and passionate, the apprentice says she got it from her father, a baker in Benoîtville. “It’s a hard job. He is allergic to holidays! »

Intense training

Inevitably, she had trained a lot for the regional competition, organized on Thursday, April 20, 2023 To Caen. She even went further than necessary, well supported by FIM group trainers Erwan Le Guen and Marie Gibourdel, as well as Cavavin managers Loic Aubineau and Erwann Dincuff. “I thank them for their help! They made me do lots of exercises and all took time to accompany me. »

She herself spent “a quarter of her salary” on wine books. Not only to shine in the competition, but also out of natural curiosity. “Sommellerie is an area where I will never be able to know everything. I learn and discover new things everyday, everywhere. Everything is very interesting! The world of wine is constantly changing, people’s consumption is changing too. You have to know how to adapt. »

Vice-champion of Normandy

The fact of having followed his apprenticeship in a cellar allowed him, precisely, to satisfy this pleasure of learning. “It was very beneficial, I would have had less time in catering. As soon as there was something new, I was able to work on it”, breathes the one who is passionate about many things, from sewing to the guitar through philosophy.

With a mother who does not drink alcohol, Léha Le Moal was not predestined to become a sommelier. It was at the age of 15 that she took her first steps in the world of catering, in CAP in Saint-Lô. Vice-champion of Normandie to Skills Olympiad service a few years later, she then fell in love with this profession. “I loved training. I had learned to walk straight, with heels, etc. It was like going to the sport! »

Restoration in parentheses

With her CAP in her pocket, the young woman begins a vocational baccalaureate that she will not finish because of personal problems. Returned to Cherbourg in 2021, she left the world of catering until June 2022. For a year, she did a lot of odd jobs in various fields.

For most of them, I was only there for two weeks to a month. I got bored quickly.

She quickly realizes that she misses catering. The time has just started her training with the FIM group in sommellerie, a project she had in mind since 2018. But while she was initially supposed to do this work-study program at the restaurant in Cherbourg le Yalta, she left for a week in the harvest with the FIM group, in September 2022 To Chinon.

The winegrowers, “great people”

The crush. “From the inside, I was able to see how beautiful the profession of winegrower is. Life in the vineyards is very physical, but it is also very healthy. This experience made me realize a lot of things. I saw that their job required giving their all. »

She then rings the doorbell of the Cavavin. There, she can value the work of the winegrowers, “great people who entrust us with their babies”. “These are the ones you have to bring into the customer’s glass. All their work, you don’t see it when you open a bottle. It’s a huge job, and it’s important to tell the clients », assures Léha, a bit greedy to better imagine herself on the customers’ plate when she recommends a wine.

At the end of his work-study program in Cherbourg, Léha will leave from June to October in a hotel restaurant four stars next to Grenoble, always in the sommelier. “It’s the first time I’ve been to the montagne ! “Then will come the October 24To Nantes this time, the national final “one of the Best Apprentices in France”. “For afterwards, I have plenty of proposals on the right and on the left, and many desires. »

Wine estate, cellar, catering… Léha does not intend to laze around!

La Cavavin is open Monday from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. main street street.

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