Bacchus' Challenge: emlyon's Wine Tasting Competition

This year, the 17th edition of the Défi de Bacchus, the wine-tasting competition organized by Sup de Coteaux, the wine club of emlyon business school, was held at Château de Montchat.

Bacchus' Challenge

This year’s event brought together teams from Oxford, EHL Lausanne, Sciences Po Paris, emlyon, and Dauphine. Participants competed in traditional wine-tasting challenges and a general knowledge quiz before watching the three finalists face off on more creative topics in front of the jury and the audience.

A quick look at the festivities

The 15 teams, made up of students and wine enthusiasts, first competed in a blind tasting featuring three white wines and three red wines (including a 2016 Pinot Gris from Domaine Weibach and a 2011 Beaune des Bourcherottes 1er Cru from Jadot). This was followed by a general knowledge quiz, in which participants had to demonstrate their knowledge of oenology and everything related to it.

After all that hard work, a cocktail reception was held to give the teams a chance to meet and discuss the competition before the three finalists were announced.
As for the final round, it featured three wines, each with its own designated challenge:
The first challenge involved a classic analytical description of a white wine delivered orally, followed by a presentation focused exclusively on food and wine pairing for a red wine, and finally an original presentation of a Graham’s Tawny Port.

The event concluded with a lavish dinner, where each team was presented with a selection of bottles and other gifts provided by the challenge’s partners (Valrhona Chocolates, Le Nez du Vin, etc.)
This year, the Oxford team won the challenge, taking home a 2005 Château Yquem, a magnum of Montrose, and a Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru from Méo Camuzet, to name just a few.

Sup de Coteaux: Sharing and Passing on a Passion

Sharing and camaraderie, which lie at the heart of this competition, are the core values of this association, which also focuses on passing on a passion for oenology across generations of students.
Originally just a group of curious individuals, the members of Sup de Coteaux quickly developed a passion for wine through their interactions with former members, who shared their oenological knowledge and trained them for competitions.
Matthias Baudin, head of the Défi de Bacchus, believes that “what ensures the longevity and beauty of our association is the bond between the different terms of office; we are all bon vivants and are committed to passing on our love for wine.”
The competition results speak for themselves: two-time defending champions of the LBBC and 17 victories out of their last 26 entries in student wine competitions, it is clear that these newcomers love wine—and that wine returns the favor.

To view photos from the 2018 event, please visit the event page:

https://www.facebook.com/defidebacchus/

The next edition of the contest will take place on one of the first two weekends in May. For more information on registration, please contact:

Matthias.baudin@edu.emlyon.com