Event – Detail

Né à Sainte-Menehould dans la Marne, Dom Pierre Pérignon (1638-1715), grand voyageur, était un moine bénédictin passionné par l’élaboration du vin. Il a servi comme cellérier à l'abbaye d'Hautvillers. Si on lui attribute à tort l’invention des vins pétillants, on lui reconnait d’importantes innovations dans la production de vin de Champagne. On lui doit notamment le perfectionnement des techniques d'assemblage. Aujourd’hui son nom est honoré par le prestigieux champagne Dom Pérignon.

A native of the Lorraine region, Eric Simonis settled in Philadelphia in 1990. As a veteran expert in the hospitality industry, he taught at Walnut Hill College. In 2017, Eric launched ouifrenchphila where he is a private French language instructor. His professional experience also includes six years of tutoring at The Lauder Institute of International Studies, preparing students for their Oral Proficiency Interviews. He appears monthly at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia where he leads “Le Cercle Francophone d’Histoire,” a group that combines love of the French language and of history. Eric lectures in slow French about a variety of themes that define French culture, human and intellectual achievements. In his upcoming talks, "Pionniers et innovateurs français," he will pay homage to the inventiveness and creativity of five French pioneers!