Yannick Loué
The food and beverage industry has always been in Yannick’s blood. He decided to follow in the footsteps of his father by attending the Catering School of Paris. He started his career in a Michelin star restaurant in France before moving to England.
Yannick spent 8 years working in the New Forest where he developed his passion for wine, discovering all the New World wines that he had never encountered before. In France only french wine was commonly available.
His main passion isn’t the big name wine houses, he’d rather focus on the small producers who make great quality and great value wine. He loves to share his passion with others and is keen to break down the barriers that he feels are in place when it comes to talking about wine.
His primary vision for Le Vignoble is to really open the minds of the people by showing and encouraging them to taste different wines so that they gain a real understanding and appreciation for wine. His aim is for people to buy a decent bottle and savour it, he is a firm believer that you get what you pay for and that cheap wine from supermarkets only encourage people to drink more with no thought about quality.
Yannick’s wine choices.
Top Wine for Spring Drinking: Menetou-Salon Cotes de Morogues Fournier 2011 – fantastic sauvignon blanc close to Sancerre. Citrus fruit and peaches with a hint of peppermint and a long, mineral finish (£16.50)
Top Wine for Everyday Drinking: Piquepoul Les Perles 2010 – an unusual, underrated grape that literally translates as lip stinger! Refreshing and dry with citrus fruit, green apples, tropical fruit and white flowers. (£10.50)
Top Wine for a Special Treat: Clos Beylesse Rosé 2012 - an absolutely stunning rosé from Cotes-de-Provence. We will be putting it in the Enomatic machines very soon so come in and try for yourself! (£24)
Naomi Elder
Naomi completed her degree in Psychology in 2010 and decided to take on a part-time job in a 4-star hotel while she decided on which of the many different psychology-related career paths she wanted to take. Instead, she fell in love with the hospitality industry and over two years worked her way up to restaurant manager of the fine dining department.
Her passion for wine developed there, in an environment where wine events were held regularly and which had an extensive and varied wine list. Her interest in wine is primarily from a psychological perspective, in that she listens to other people’s interpretations of wine and looks at how tastes, smells and experiences often have subjective differences.
Naomi’s wine choices.
Top Wine for Spring Drinking: Cave de Lugny Macon-Villages 2011 – a fruity chardonnay with citrus fruit, ripe apples, honey and butter. Soft on the palate with no oak (£12)
Top Wine for Everyday Drinking: Mariona Alicante Blanco 2011 – our April Wine of the Month, fantastic value! Tropical fruit on the nose and the palate with subtle notes of lychee and jasmine and a clean, fresh finish (£7.34)
Top Wine for a Special Treat: Yealands Estate Black Label Pinot Noir 2011 – we held a wine event with Yealands Estate in April, this pinot noir is soft and light with notes of black cherries, plums, violets and spice (£16)
