Congratulations to Sebastien Lafortune from Alberta, Canada for successfully passing the Champagne Master-Level exam with the highest honors!

About Sebastien:

''I started in the restaurant business when I was 15 and worked in that capacity for over 20 years. In the last 5 years I’ve worked on the retail side in a large store in Calgary, Alberta that focuses on educational seminars and tasting events. Working as a sommelier is great and I am continually learning new things in this ever-evolving business.

I am a certified sommelier with an ISG Diploma as well as a Level 3 WSET certification. I am always interested in learning new material, which is why I studied the Champagne course. I definitely see myself taking more classes as the course offered great in depth study of the region.  While I knew all the basics of Champagne, I was not as familiar as I am now with the geography and villages. This will definitely help when recommending specific styles to our customers.

As I mentioned above, with my greater understanding of the region as a whole and how each house is quite different from the others, this will be an asset when buying new champagnes for our stores. The course has made me want to pursue other courses from your offered programs as well as made me want to visit the region, which I have yet to do. I have always been a lover of Rhone Syrah and foresee myself taking that program in the near future. Maybe Alsace?''