Other
Antoine Lehebel
Sommelier
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Born in Nantes, France, Antoine Lehebel came into wine through service, not inheritance. After arriving in London in 2003, he worked in gastronomy before the cellar became the center of his practice. The pace of the city, the discipline of service, and the demands of hospitality pushed his work toward wine. A DipWSET later gave that instinct a formal framework and added technical structure to the trade. He then built experience across Brussels and Belgium, where cellar work and floor service became the two main parts of the job.
The Climb
Classical restaurants in France until 2012 gave Antoine Lehebel a strict early formation. In those rooms, the standards were exacting: service had to be disciplined, the dining room ran on quiet authority, and the habits that shape a sommelier were learned before the title was ever attached. That period provided a grounding in traditional restaurant grammar, with technical fluency developing alongside the composure required by formal service. From 2012, Antoine Lehebel took over the cellar at La Villa Lorraine in Belgium, shifting from foundational work into cellar leadership. That role placed him inside the restaurant’s wine program, where memory, judgment, and command of stock matter as much as service timing. Cellar work at that level is interpretive as well as administrative, because it shapes the guest’s path from the first pour to the final glass. For him, the move marked a direct extension of the classical training that came before it.
Today
Cellar leadership and sommelier service define Antoine Lehebel’s work today, with London, Brussels, and formal study all visible in the way he operates. The city pace of London, the professional weight of Brussels, and the structure of the DipWSET each left a clear mark on his approach. The result is service that is practical, informed, and tuned to the room. The DipWSET remains the clearest sign of the study behind that practice.
Recognition
Best Sommelier of Belgium (2014) sits within a career built through progression rather than display. Antoine Lehebel’s work moved from the formal rooms of France to cellar responsibility in Belgium, and the award reflects the level reached by then. In a trade measured by consistency, restraint, and the ability to guide a guest with confidence, the recognition marks that standard clearly.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Antoine
Where did Antoine Lehebel work before?
Antoine Lehebel's earlier career included La Villa Lorraine.
What recognition has Antoine Lehebel received?
Best Sommelier of Belgium (2014).
