Nicola Bonera, Best Sommelier of Italy 2010, led us to discover the great Piedmontese wines: Nebbiolo and Barbera
To guide Stage #33 of the Sommelier Wine Box (December 2020) we turned to a great sommelier: Nicola Bonera.
Here is his story:
«My journey began early. It all starts from my studies at the hotel institute, which give me the opportunity to win the competition for best junior sommelier of the Italian hotel institutes and to transform my initial shyness into determination. Then I became a sommelier and since then there have been many steps: I left the world of full-time catering and started teaching in various hotel institutes, I became a speaker at AIS courses and I participated in many competitions. With a lot of hard work and a bit of luck I have achieved goals that I would not have imagined 20 years ago.
Many successes, such as the title of best sommelier in Lombardy in 2002 and the Franciacorta trophy for the best sommelier in Italy in 2010 , victories that must be added to the various Masters on Italian vines and territories.
There were also numerous placings and defeats, equally useful for improving my knowledge. Today I divide my time between the activity of trainer for the participants in our courses and consultancy for restaurants for which I structure the wine lists, with the same passion and curiosity as at the beginning . »
Nicola Bonera, best sommelier in Italy
