
If you’ve been around here long enough, as many of you have, you’ll have heard us speak about the Appraisal team many times. Their work is vital to for our auctions as they carefully scrutinise and analyse each bottle that gets put up for auction. But who are the 12 people who make up the biggest team at iDealwine? Let’s find out!
Antoine, Ludovic, Joffrey, Maxence, Clément, Alexandre and Alexandre, Henrique, Paul, Maxime, Lucas and Quentin make up this joyful team that is overseen by Lionel Cuenca, a co-founder of iDealwine. Let’s get to know everyone in this team which is absolutely crazy about wine and natural wine in particular!
Antoine Gouriou, Head of Appraisal
Antoine has been Head of the Appraisal team since 2018 but his story with the team and iDealwine date back to 2013 when he joined the company. As the leader of this band of wine geeks, we asked him to paint a picture about what they do.
“We are the eyes and hands of iDealwine auctions. The team is the size that it is because the company organises an auction a week with about 5,000 bottles per auction! Each and every bottle has to pass through the hands of an appraiser to be inspected, meticulously described, photographed from several angles, authenticated and appraised (evaluating how the wine has been preserved and stored, testing the corks and closures, etc.). It’s an essential task which is taken extremely seriously at iDealwine given our position as France’s top wine auction house and following the strict legal parameters which govern this type of sale (guaranteeing authenticity and fulfilling other requirements). At the same time, we have to uphold the reputation that we have built over the past 20 plus years and ensure our customer’s satisfaction which is, of course, our top priority. Each bottle is individually appraised, even if it’s part of a 12-bottle case of identical bottles, for example.
As well as all this, we deal with the bottles destined for auction before they have been appraised with the team travelling around France and bordering countries to pick up wines from consigners, welcoming customers who are dropping off their bottles at our depot to sell at auction and shipments (with each and every list being checked).
The team works like a family with everyone mucking in and helping each other out. There is great camaraderie between us, created by our close bonds. You’ll often find us nerding out about wine; we are all huge wine enthusiasts which certainly helps with the job. It’s not strange to find us having long discussions about wine with the consigners we meet as they are just as interested in wine as we are. We’re a bit like a sport’s team, everyone complements each other’s skillset and gets the best out of everyone. Each member of the team can choose how they organise their tasks for the day and are largely autonomous in their work, which allows everyone to flourish.”
And his favourite wine? The Roussillon red from Domaine des Foulards.
The Appraisal team
- Ludovic, Head of Appraisal Quality
Ludovic has been part of the side for 12 years and is the most experienced member of the team which definitely aids him in his role as quality manager. He acts like the team’s magnifying glass, the final frontier, conducting the final checks after another member of the team has appraised the wine; there’s a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.
If you ever need to know something about Jura’s wine, Ludo is your go-to person. He seems to know the region by heart and can reel off the best producers, icons and the latest rising natural wine stars at the drop of a hat.
- Joffrey, Head of Consigners Logistics
This former wine merchant has been in this position for the past 10 years, having arrived in 2014. Over this time appraising wine, he has expanded his fine wine knowledge, bringing the tiny gaps that were there. His main daily task comprises of manage all things logistics: organising the team’s journeys around France and beyond to collect wine people are consigning, organising wine enthusiasts dropping off the wine they wish to resell at our depot, checking everything… With this job, it’s clear that Joffrey is an organisational maestro, methodically and meticulously making sure that everything goes to plan.
And what does he love to uncork? His tastes are quite eclectic within the natural wine world, but he holds a special place in his heart for wines from his native Roussillon.
- Henrique, Appraiser and iDealwine’s Swiss army knife
Henrique has been part of the team for 5 years now. Arriving from Rio de Janeiro, this Doctor of Biology is a multitalented wine geek which is why we call him iDealwine’s Swiss army knife. As well as appraising wines, he also uses his knowledge and experience to help other teams, most notably for the administrative side of auctions and estimating the value of bottles.
We might be letting you in on a little secret here, but you’ll always know it’s a Monday because Henrique is enjoying a Kebab for lunch and usually, the entire team join in with this ritual.
His favourite wine is none other than Vacqueyras from Reynaud
- Alexandre G., Appraiser
Alexandre, a former wine merchant, joined the team 4 years ago. As well as being an appraiser, he is also Joffrey’s replacement when he is on holiday for managing the receipt of bottles. He is both the “clown of the team” in Antoine’s words and someone who is deeply serious and dedicated to his work.
A fun fact about Alexandre is that he is a talented impersonator!
And his favourite region? Once again, it’s Roussillon!
- Maxence, Appraiser
Maxence has also been part of the team for 4 years. In his previous life, he worked in the restaurant industry. The “grump of the team” as Antoine playfully calls him, Maxence is nonetheless heavily involved with everything the team does and is an exceptional worker.
Each year, he organises a festival called Breizh Sonor in Brittany where he represents iDealwine, offering a summery selection of wine. A fan of rap, he has a penchant for speaking in slang and using expressions that he creates.
And his go-to region? Auvergne!
- Alexandre R, Appraiser
It’s now been three years since Alexandre joined the team. And just like Maxence, he is a machine when it comes to appraising wines, winning the productivity award in the first quarter of 2024. Before joining iDealwine, he was a mixologist. The moustached hipster of the team, he arrives every morning in a carefully put-together outfit.
A fun fact? Every year, he buys beach racquets and then proceeds to leave them at the depot.
And his favourite region just has to be Jura.
- Clément, Appraiser
Another former wine merchant, Clément arrived at iDealwine 3 years ago after having created the first Champagne truck in Champagne. It goes without saying that he’s the team’s resident expert on the region, a title he carries with great honour and rigour. What is more, he recently won the team’s prize for quality because he has an eagle eye which spots every minute detail.
There’s one more thing you need to know about Clément. Despite not being a morning person, he soon finds his humorous side and is up for a laugh with his colleagues.
And what does he love to uncork? Well, Granit 174 Vaccelli
- Maxime, Appraiser and responsible for product storage
Even though Maxime is an appraiser, he also like to be in contact with customers who come to our depot to drop off or pick up wines. He’s someone who always has a smile on his face and is in a good mood and is ready to talk about wine at any given moment. He is also responsible for entering wines into our storage facility. Before joining iDealwine, he worked at several Champagne houses, one which being Thierry Fournier.
A fun fact about Maxime is that he’s been given the nickname Tom Cruise by the team. We’ll let you to guess why…
And what does he like to savour? The Pinot Noirs of Anne Gros
- Lucas, Appraiser
Nicknamed Harry Potter because of his small round glasses and his dress sense, Lucas is another former wine merchant. When carrying out his work, he is extremely exigent and conscientious; there is never a doubt when he’s appraising bottles.
A fun fact about Lucas? He eats an enormous number of bananas on a daily basis.
And what does he like to savour? Red Burgundies!
- Paul, Appraiser
A former sommelier, Paul enjoys having contact with customers as well as appraising wines. A member of the team for little over a year, this petrol head loves to his motorbikes, seeming to have a new one on a regular basis. And when he’s not working, he likes to while away the hours playing tennis.
Not one to keep secrets, Paul has shared on multiple occasions that while travelling for work, he like to take advantage of the fact there’s a bath in the hotel room to have a nice, long soak.
And his favourite region? Well, that would be Jura!
- Quentin, Appraiser
Quentin is the most recent person to have joined the team. Having arrived in October 2023, he quickly settled in and integrated himself. He works in a meticulous manner, describing every minute detail of the bottles he appraises, right down to the smallest marks on a label. He inputs all these details into the database which those of us with an untrained eye would have very probably not even noticed.
Quentin is a massive basketball fan and of Miami HEAT in particular. You can often find him dribbling a ball on the courts in Versailles.
His favourite wine is none other than Syrah Leone from Peyre Rose!