{"id":149369,"date":"2025-07-09T16:28:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T14:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/dans-la-cave-de-angelique-taormina-cheffe-sommeliere\/"},"modified":"2025-07-11T13:59:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T11:59:22","slug":"in-angelique-cellar-taormina-head-sommelier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/in-angelique-taormina-cellar-head-sommelier\/","title":{"rendered":"In the cellar of… Ang\u00e9lique Taormina, head sommelier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By Laurence Gounel\u00a0<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
In this interview, Ang\u00e9lique Taormina<\/strong>, head sommelier and co-owner of the Restaurant Teritoria Ambroisie<\/a> in Saint-Didier-de-la-Tour, Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes, reveals all the secrets of her wine cellar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did you become a sommelier?<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Angelique<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Until 2007, my husband and I cooked together. We wanted to bring a fresh perspective<\/strong> to the dining experience, and when I took on that role, I naturally became interested in wine service. I studied grape varieties and I began to understand how wine could echo the flavours in our dishes. But it was my encounters with winemakers<\/strong>, and the conversations we shared, that truly guided me. I discovered that many of them were deeply thoughtful about how best to express and promote <\/strong>their terroir<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is your philosophy on wine cellars?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
My cellar is evolving, just like our kitchen with its blind menu<\/strong>. I inherited a fairly extensive wine list, featuring many old vintages. To balance it, I\u2019ve added a selection of wines that are ready to drink now, wines that aren\u2019t driven by trends. I also enjoy introducing<\/strong><\/em> <\/strong>little-known wines by the glass.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
\"Meal<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
I\u2019ve recently started developing an Italian wine list<\/strong>, which means a great deal to me. I also hope to dedicate part of the list to female winemakers<\/strong>. This takes time, as there are still very few, and their work is so refined <\/strong>that production is often limited. Finally, I\u2019ve built a wonderful champagne list<\/strong> with around forty labels. Champagne was my first introduction to wine. I only feature bottles from independent producers<\/strong>, some of which pair beautifully with an entire meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What makes a good sommelier?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It’s someone who stays humble <\/strong>and listens, someone who engages in dialogue <\/strong>to understand their customer. That\u2019s what I strive to do: understand who I\u2019m speaking to, and how far I can go. I\u2019m lucky to have a loyal clientele who trust me, and I\u2019m committed to always surprising them. I want every visit to feel like a unique experience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is your best memory of being a sommelier?<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Teritoria<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
The first time I was handed the wine list and told, \u201cChoose whatever you like,\u201d I took it as a sign of trust<\/strong>, respect, and affection. It gave me just enough confidence to feel legitimate. I selected some fine bottles and ” took a stroll” through the terroirs. And in the end, I experienced it all through their eyes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A female winemaker who has impressed you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One woman I can\u2019t wait to meet is Dominique Hauvette<\/strong>, I love her wines. Based in the Alpilles, she crafted the 2017 Coraline vintage: a powerful wine, full of character and remarkable finesse. It\u2019s like an iron fist in a velvet glove. The tannins are smooth, yet the wine has both depth and subtlety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discover Restaurant Ambroisie, a gem of the Teritoria community<\/strong>, where hospitality<\/strong> and commitment<\/strong> shine through in every dish. Located in Saint-Didier-de-la-Tour, in the Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes region, Ambroisie embodies the spirit of Teritoria, where gastronomy meets environmental respect<\/strong>, craftsmanship<\/strong>, and support for emerging talent<\/strong>. Join us<\/a> for an unforgettable culinary experience that will rekindle your love for the world, and see why Teritoria is your guide to meaningful, sustainable, and discovery-rich hospitality<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Would you like to give a memorable experience to one of your loved ones? Visit our gift shop<\/a> to discover all our gift boxes and gift cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, join our free loyalty programme<\/a> and enjoy exclusive benefits during your stays at Teritoria hotels and restaurants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Once a chef, now in the dining room, this co-owner of Restaurant Ambroisie invites us to discover her cellar, home to 4,000 bottles and over 500 different wines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":64694,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[695,1],"tags":[20809,20810,4576,20811,4577],"class_list":["post-149369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behind-the-scenes","category-all-our-articles","tag-cave-en","tag-cheffe-sommeliere-en","tag-gastronomie-durable-en","tag-portrait-en","tag-terroir-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149369"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149377,"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149369\/revisions\/149377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teritoria.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}