About Julien Plaud
Co-founder and President of Vinotrip | Director of Publication
Julien Plaud is a French entrepreneur specialising in wine tourism. As co-founder and current president of Vinotrip, he oversees the company’s activities, as well as the editorial direction and compliance of the content published on Vinotrip’s official blog.
Entrepreneurial background
Passionate about wine and travel, Julien Plaud co-founded Vinotrip in April 2013 alongside Adrien Mirguet, with the aim of making online wine travel offers clearer, more accessible and more digitally structured. Operational from November 2013, the agency positioned itself between general gift box providers and local tourism operators by offering ready-to-book wine stays combining accommodation, winery visits and tastings across France’s wine regions.
Sector expertise
Under his leadership, Vinotrip has developed an approach focused on personalisation and the diversification of travel themes, combining wine with gastronomy, wellness, sports such as golf, and organic farming. With a strong focus on structuring the company’s growth, Julien Plaud has built Vinotrip’s development strategy around high-quality customer service and close relationships with both travellers and partner winegrowers.
His career has been marked by several key stages in Vinotrip’s development:
- 2014: Vinotrip was recognised by FrenchWeb as one of the high-potential start-ups in its sector.
- 2015: He supervised an exclusive premium partnership with sommelier Olivier Poussier, named Best Sommelier in the World in 2000, to create high-end themed stays focused on food and wine pairings.
- Over the years since 2014: as a sector expert, he has regularly been called upon by national and specialist media, including Le Monde, Le Figaro Magazine and ÉcoRéseau Business, to analyse developments in wine tourism in France, from the modernisation of Champagne’s image to first-time discovery experiences in Burgundy.
Institutional recognition
Julien Plaud’s expertise in wine tourism has led him to be heard by public institutions. On Tuesday, 2 September 2025, he took part in an official round table on wine tourism at the French Senate, organised as part of the fact-finding committee on the future of French winegrowing, alongside other major stakeholders from the tourism and regional development sectors.
Editorial role on the blog
As president and content supervisor, Julien Plaud ensures that the articles published on the Vinotrip blog provide readers with reliable, well-documented and accessible information. His editorial aim is to make the world of wine easier to understand, to showcase the expertise of independent winegrowers, and to guide travellers objectively through the different wine routes of France.