Our wine experts

At Grain de Sail Wines, each product is scrupulously selected according to strict standards.

To ensure this level of quality, they have to go through our wine director, a sommelier and a top-level wine shop director. Only a consensus amongst those passionate tasters will grant a bottle a spot in the hull of our cargo sailboat’s floating cellar.

Our team

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Jean Samuel Boussemart Certified Sommelier

Background: Technical Degree in Hospitality with a Major in Sommellerie

Wine Icon: Eric Baumard

Wine Appetence: L’Étincelle – Mas Cal Demoura / Terrasses du Larzac

Fav Dish: Beef’s Tartare « au couteau »

A Song: Wonderwall – Oasis

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Matthieu Riou US Wines & Spirits Director

Background: MSC International Negotiation – WSET 3

Wine Icon: Pascaline Lepeltier

Wine Appetence: Ordovicien – Domaine de Bablut / Anjou

Fav Dish: My Father’s Spaghetti Vongole

A Song: Everyday – A$AP Rocky

Armel Moisan Top-level Wine Shop Director

Background: Wine Shop Manager Diploma / 10y in the wine business

Wine Icon: Marie-Hélène Merrien

Wine Appetence: Macération – Jérôme Bretaudeau / Muscadet

Fav Dish: Kig Ha Farz

A Song: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Sugarfoot

We need to taste

To select the best products, Matthieu has been travelling the country and visiting every single winemaker we work with. In the vineyards, in the cellars, and with the winemakers, Matthieu is able to understand their work and their wines. We feel this is not only important but a true prerequisite to our selection process.

Wine tasting © Kelsey Knight

We meet to taste

Because we always try to find a consensus amongst our three wine experts, we frequently organize tastings between us and debate about wines.  Each bottle, each vintage, each profile is closely analyzed to ensure the quality and uniqueness of all products that we ship to NYC.