{"id":2854,"date":"2026-02-16T17:06:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T17:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tourdeprovencefrance.fr\/my-wine-tasting-diploma\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T23:08:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T23:08:24","slug":"my-wine-tasting-diploma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdeprovencefrance.fr\/en\/my-wine-tasting-diploma\/","title":{"rendered":"My wine tasting diploma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”|auto|-5px|auto||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ quote_line_height=”1em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” min_height=”772.8px” inline_fonts=”Allura” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

I never wanted to attend wine tasting school.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I launched Tour de Provence France<\/em><\/strong>, my bespoke tastings were working, my clients were happy, and the winemakers trusted me. I was well-established in my world. My level of knowledge was sufficient. It satisfied my clients. And, honestly, that suited me. <\/p>\n

A friend told me about the Franck Thomas training<\/strong>. The main school was in Antibes, in the South of France.
I always gave the same answer: the discourse of sommeliers, which was too pompous for my taste, did not interest me<\/strong>. This way of speaking about wine as an inaccessible object, reserved for those who “know,” had always bothered me. <\/p>\n

He insisted.
One day, I finally watched a YouTube video dedicated to the school.<\/p>\n

It was a revelation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

No snobbery. No complicated discourse to impress. No “know-it-all” attitude.
On the contrary: a humble approach to wine. A blind tasting to feel, to listen, to understand without being influenced by a label<\/strong>. To avoid becoming a mere label drinker. <\/p>\n

Wine tasting, in this school, was not a posture. It was a commitment.
A sharing.
An immense respect for the winemakers.
And its founder, Franck: humble, smiling, and deeply benevolent. <\/p>\n

I was deeply moved.<\/p>\n

“Do you want help preparing your CV?” my friend asked, seeing my wonder-struck face.
“Yes, please.”<\/p>\n

It was in 2023 that my Franck Thomas adventure began.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

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I would wake up at 5:30 AM to be at school by 9:00 AM. A lot of traffic in the morning, a little less in the evening. Long, intense days. But I regret nothing. <\/p>\n

On the first day, Franck told us:<\/p>\n

“You will not leave this school the same. You are going to change personally, profoundly.<\/strong>“<\/p>\n

I wondered if it was just a “school” phrase.
It was not.<\/p>\n

He was right.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I refocused. I removed the superfluous from my life. I learned to listen differently. To taste differently. To speak about wine differently. <\/p>\n

One day, Franck asked a simple question:
“What is a great wine?”<\/p>\n

By the end of the training, we had all understood.<\/p>\n

A great wine is one that brings you emotion. <\/span><\/h3>\n

If I had to do it all over again, I would take the training again.
It was hard. Intense. Disconcerting. Demanding. Motivating.
And\u2026 magical. <\/p>\n

Today, this approach to wine\u2014founded on emotion, humility, and respect for winemakers\u2014is at the heart of the experiences I create with Tour de Provence France.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every tasting I design carries this standard learned at the Franck Thomas school: to feel before judging, to understand before speaking, and above all, to share.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Provence or elsewhere\u2014in Bordeaux, Alsace, Champagne, or the Loire\u2014let us discover together the emotions that the wines I have chosen can reveal. <\/strong>Combined with art and gastronomy, these moments take on yet another dimension.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/h2>\n

The Franck Thomas School<\/span><\/span> was founded by Franck Thomas<\/span><\/span>, Best Sommelier in Europe and Meilleur Ouvrier de France.<\/p>\n

The school advocates a unique approach to wine tasting:<\/p>\n