19 votesWhile in culinary school in Sisteron, Grenoble and Nice, Philippe Faure-Brac developed a passion for wine and became obsessed with studying the history of each grape and each wine-producing region. He became an ardent wine taster and discussed wine with religious zeal and gusto.
In 1984, at the young age of 24, he opened Bistrot du Sommelier in Paris, mastering the art of food and wine pairing, and in 1992, won a gold medal in the international sommelier competition beating 35 candidates from 20 countries. The young sommelier also had a weekly radio stint in France’s Europe 1 station where he talked about wines in the program presented by Maryse and Jean Amadou, from October 1992 to July 1995. During September 1996 to June 1998, Faure-Brac appeared on Television landing his own regular spot in France 2’s program “Les Beaux Matins.” In October 1997, his TV wine spot won the Bronze Award in the World Food Media Awards in Adelaide, Australia. From 1998 to 2005, he was the wine consultant at Air-France.
Born in Marseilles in 1960, Faure-Brac went away to study cuisine and gained experience in several restaurants in Paris before striking it on his own. From the start, diners flocked the Bistrot for its warm, engaging and welcoming atmosphere that Faure-Brac created. The sommelier carefully assists every guest with their food and wine pairing choices and watches over the inventory of his prized wine cellar. A place dedicated to the harmony between food and wine, Le Bistrot has earned a reputation as the restaurant of wines.
Today, Philppe Faure-Brac is a regular contributor to various culinary publications and a member of the tasting committee of the “Wines of France” magazine. He also takes part in a weekly radio program on BFM called “In Vino.” Faure-Brac also published seven books including "La Cave Idéale" (The Ideal Wine Cellar) and "Le Livre de Cave" (The Wine Cellar Book).
