Maître–sommelier at Laite in Sappada, Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy)—Michelin-starred since 1997—Elena Brovedani was named Gambero Rosso “Sommelier of the Year 2024,” celebrated for bespoke service and a cellar holding more than 4 000 bottles.
Born in 1997, Elena Brovedani grew up in the forests of the Piave valley, daughter of maître Roberto Brovedani (who died in 2018) and Michelin-starred chef Fabrizia Meroi. Her father—already a keen sommelier—entrusted her with the wine cellar while she was still a teenager; her mother refined her palate with mountain flavours.
After internships at La Torre del Saracino, Madonnina del Pescatore and Pomiroeu she returned to Sappada, and in 2020 took over front-of-house at Laite, an old hayloft in borgata Hoffe transformed into an intimate 20-seat dining room of larch wood, warm lighting and handcrafted tableware. The wine list favours borderland varieties, heroic Dolomite vintages and small Champagne growers, while her service is built on care for the client, storytelling and rhythm.
In October 2023 the Gambero Rosso Restaurants of Italy 2024 guide awarded her Sommelier of the Year, praising her ability to weave wine narrative into modern hospitality.
She now oversees more than four thousand bottles contributing to make Laite one of the Alpine arc’s most enchanting addresses.
