Francois Mauss

Born in 1946 in Metz, France, François Mauss holds a bachelors degree in economics from the Universities of Strasbourg and Aix en Provence. He graduated from IUHEI in Geneva (Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales) and is the recipient of a MALD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts & Harvard University). Since 1984 François Mauss has simultaneously developed his two passions: fine wine and the Apple Macintosh. Always an independent contractor, Mauss was a pioneer in the development of wine-focused software, including « Bacchus & Comus » the first wine-pairing CD Rom made for the general public, various cellar management software, as well as databases on wine and gastronomy, including the CD Rom of the Bottin Gourmand.
Married to Marité Garaialde and father of 4 children, François Mauss has lived in Luxembourg since 1972. In 1996, Mauss created the Grand Jury Européen (GJE), a non-profit association founded with the aim to provide an alternative to the way fine wines are usually classified (by individual journalist’s scores).

Four to six times annually, the Grand Jury Européen meets, and, under strict legal watch, blind tastes wines by theme. As a highly transparent and non-biased forum for scoring wines, the GJE has quickly become a global reference point for wine scores. Mauss’ approach has also allowed many connoisseurs to get to know the fine wines of Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Hungary.

Now a wine consultant and event manager, François Mauss created, in 2009, the World Wine Symposium at the Villa d’Este on Lake Como (Italy). The WWS is a global think-tank where actors from all different sectors of the global wine industry come together to discuss, debate and defend the common historical, social, political, economic and cultural interests of the world of fine wine.

Having launched to great success in 2009, the World Wine Symposium is now considered the global meeting place for key players of the wine industry. Mauss is now preparing the third edition of the WWS at the Villa d’Este.