Marie Ponsonnet

Born into a family of winemakers at Château Bourgneuf in Pomerol, Marie was raised on a vineyard and immersed in the craft from a young age. After pursuing an MBA in wine and spirits marketing, she joined the Wine & Business Club Paris where she served as project manager in event planning and media relations.

In 2013, she moved to New York to pursue a new challenge: as a self-taught sommelier, she was hired by the prestigious Michelin three-star restaurant Le Bernardin, where she worked with a list of some 2,000 wines alongside one of her mentors, Aldo Sohm. It was also during her New York years that she launched, alongside winemaker Rajat Parr, their cuvée Colète, made solely from Merlot grapes grown in Coombsville, Napa Valley.

After seven years in New York, Marie moved back to France and settled in Lyon. She now works as an independent wine consultant, running tastings and workshops for companies and curating the wine list at Le Mercière, her spouse’s restaurant. She is also the co-founder of a food-tech startup, and is currently studying for her WSET Diploma, all while looking after her three sons.

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