Scientific Committee

Dr José Vouillamoz

Co-director of the Scientific Committee Grapevine Geneticist – Independent Expert, Author and Lecturer

Grapevine Geneticist – Independent Expert, Author and Lecturer

Dr José Vouillamoz is one of the world's leading authorities on the origin and parentage of grape varieties through DNA profiling. A Swiss grape geneticist of international fame, trained with Prof Carole Meredith at the University of California at Davis (USA), he is co-author with the two Masters of Wine Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding of the multi-award-winning book Wine Grapes (Allen Lane, 2012), the ultimate reference on all grape varieties cultivated in the world, also published in Japanese.

In 2017, he published the reference book Cépages Suisses - Histoires et Origines, available in French, German and English, with a revised and enhanced edition in 2025. Also in 2025, he published Grands cépages d'origine française, focusing on the 12 most famous international grape varieties.

Dr Vouillamoz is also author and co-author of several scientific papers and grape books, including the Oxford Companion to Wine and the World Atlas of Wine. He is a member of the Académie Internationale du Vin, the Académie du Vin de Bordeaux (only Swiss member), the Mémoire des Vins Suisses and the Circle of Wine Writers.

Olivier Yobrégat

Co-director of the Scientific Committee

Agronomist & Oenologist – Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV)

Olivier Yobrégat is an agronomist and oenologist specialising in viticulture. For nearly 30 years, he has been working in the field of ampelography and grapevine genetic resources, first within a regional organisation in south-western France, and now at the Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV), which he joined in 2007.

His work also includes participation in numerous research programmes on grapevine decline diseases and vine nursery issues.

A passionate advocate of viticultural history, he co-directs the Scientific Committee of the Association Francs de Pied.

Alain Deloire

Professor of Viticulture (retired) – Viticulture Consultant

Alain Deloire obtained his PhD in 1982 from the University of Montpellier II (France) and a Doctor of Science (DSc) in 1998 from the University of Montpellier I. He spent ten years as a researcher and team leader in viticulture at Moët & Chandon in Champagne, France.

He later served for 14 years as Professor of grapevine and fruit ecophysiology at Montpellier SupAgro, co-authoring three books on Grapevine Physiology and Terroir, and is the author or co-author of more than 300 scientific and technical publications. His research focuses on grapevine physiology and grape berry development and biochemistry.

He was Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University from 2009 to 2012, Head of Department from 2011 to 2012, and Extraordinary Professor from 2013 to 2015. From 2013 to 2016, he was Director of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre at Charles Sturt University (Australia). He was Professor of Viticulture at Montpellier SupAgro until his retirement in August 2023, and is currently a viticulture consultant (www.grapevine-paradise.com).

Gabriel Lepousez

Neuroscientist – Research Scientist, Perception and Memory Laboratory, Institut Pasteur (Paris)

Gabriel Lepousez is a neurobiologist specialising in sensory perception and brain plasticity. Holding a doctorate in Neuroscience from Paris-Sorbonne University, he conducts his research at the Perception and Memory Laboratory of Institut Pasteur in Paris. His work explores the brain circuits underlying sensory perception, memory and emotions, with a particular focus on the olfactory system and its role in learning and cognition.

An internationally recognised expert in the world of wine, he co-founded L'École du Nez in 2016, a neuro-sensory training programme for wine professionals, and collaborates with Jacky Rigaux on the development of the geo-sensory tasting method. A lecturer in many countries, he applies his neuroscientific expertise to wine tasting and sensory education.

Jacky Rigaux

Researcher and Author – Specialist in viticultural terroirs and geo-sensory tasting, University of Burgundy (retired)

Jacky Rigaux holds a doctorate in Psychology (University Paris-7, 1987) and is a former research engineer at the University of Burgundy, where he created two original degree programmes: 'Wine and Culture' and 'The Practice of Tasting through Knowledge of Terroirs'. His research focuses on the relationship between terroir and tasting, approached from historical and epistemological perspectives.

Author of numerous reference works on Burgundy wines and viticultural terroirs – translated into English, Japanese, Czech and German – he is the pioneer of geo-sensory tasting, a method developed with Henri Jayer and whose neuroscientific foundations have been validated by Gabriel Lepousez. He served as a member of the Scientific Council for the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the 'Climats' of the Burgundy wine region. An international lecturer, he organises the annual Henri Jayer International Encounters at the Château de Gilly-lès-Cîteaux.